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Sunday-School   Movements 
in  America 


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Sunday-School 
Movements  in  America 


BY 


MARIANNA  C.  BROWN 


New  York  Chicago  Toronto 

Fleming  H.   Revell   Company 

1901 


I    miilr  '    -^  — ^— 


\ 


3/ 


SEHERM^, 


Copyright  1901 

by 

FLEMING  H.  REVELL  COMPANY 


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Preface 

It  is  not  unusual  for  a  student  to  enter  college 
with  more  interest  in  his  fellow-students  than  in 
his  books,  and  it  was  this  general  interest  in  char- 
acter, rather  than  any  especial  concern  about  re- 
ligious matters,  which  led  me  to  notice  that  la- 
mentable deficiency  which  Dr.  Charles  F.  Thwing 
has  so  impressively  described  in  his  recent  article 
entitled  "  Significant  Ignorance  About  the  Bible, 
as  Shown  Among  College  Students  of  Both 
Sexes."  Observations  among  university  students, 
and  among  those  holding  the  highest  degrees, 
showed  that  advanced  scholars  are  also  often  de- 
plorably deficient  in  biblical  knowledge.  Men 
who  have  enjoyed  the  advantages,  not  only  of 
study,  but  of  travel,  of  Christian  parentage,  and 
of  church  membership,  seem  hardly  ashamed  to 
show  ignorance  as  to  who  David  was,  or  who  was 
the  earthly  father  of  our  Lord.  This  seems  in- 
credible, but  it  is  fact. 

After  leaving  college  the  Sunday-school  at- 
tracted my  attention.  Here  I  found  class  after 
class  of  scholars,  both  boys  and  girls,  of  all  ages 
from  eight  to  over  twenty,  studying  year  after 
year,  and  not  learning  such  fundamental  matters 
5 


ISo^'i^v^ 


Preface 


as  what  the  first  four  books  of  the  New  Testa- 
ment are  about.  Scholars  who  have  grown  up  in 
Sunday-schools  in  the  best  part  of  New  York 
City  reach  the  Bible  classes,  and  even  consider 
themselves  ready  to  leave  Sunday-school  or  to 
teach  younger  classes,  without  being  able  to  tell 
correctly  the  story  of  the  Nativity  or  the  circum- 
stances of  the  institution  of  the  Lord's  Supper. 

The  contemplation  of  this  ignorance  should 
arouse  intelligent  Americans.  Yet  worse  than 
ignorance  is  to  be  found  in  many,  if  not  in  most 
Sunday-schools.  Teachers  and  officers  come  late, 
act  irreverently  during  the  most  solemn  parts  of 
the  service,  make  promises  which  they  never 
carry  out,  and  in  innumerable  ways  teach  the  most 
pernicious  habits.  Sometimes  these  evils  are  the 
result  of  indifference,  but  probably  they  are  more 
frequently  the  result  of  an  entire  lack  of  appre- 
ciation on  the  part  of  well-meaning  workers. 

It  was  largely  my  growing  interest  in  this  sub- 
ject which  led  me  to  a  special  study  of  the  phil- 
osophy of  education.  Before  forming  an  opinion 
as  to  the  causes  or  remedies  for  the  present  condi- 
tion of  religious  teaching,  I  also  decided,  at  the 
suggestion  of  Dr.  Nicholas  Murray  Butler,  to  make 
a  careful  study  of  Sunday-school  movements  in 
America.  Accordingly,  eight  chapters  of  this  dis- 
sertation are  given  to  the  uncolored  history  and 
description  of  those  movements.  Some  of  the  ma- 
terial having  never  been  in  print,  I  was  obliged  to 
obtain  it  from  the  notes  and  verbal  statements  of 


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Preface  7 

leading  Sunday-school  workers.  In  the  conclu- 
sion detailed  criticisms  of  the  different  move- 
ments have  been  omitted  because  it  seemed  more 
important  at  present  to  secure  strong  foundations 
for  Sunday-school  theory. 

My  study  of  this  subject,  which  is  here  pre- 
sented, was  offered  in  partial  fulfilment  of  the 
requirements  for  the  degree  of  Doctor  of  Philoso- 
phy in  the  Faculty  of  Philosophy  at  Columbia 
University. 


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ANALYSIS  OF  CONTENTS 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

I.  EARLY  AMERICAN   SUNDAY-SCHOOLS..     17 

New  England  colonists  provided  for  relig- 
ious instruction  without  many  Sunday- 
schools. 

The  few  Sunday-schools  they  had  were  for 
religious  teaching. 

After  the  Revolution  both  religious  and 
secular  teaching  were  sadly  neglected  through- 
out the  country. 

Sunday-schools  on  Robert  Raikes'  plan  were 
then  introduced. 

Before  the  end  of  the  i8th  century  reaction 
began  in  favor  of  the  present  system  of  Sun- 
day-schools. 

IL  THE  AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UN- 
ION        26 

The  movement  introducing  Sunday-school 
unions  began  at  the  close  of  the  i8th  century. 

The  tendency  towards  cooperation  culmi- 
nated in  the  formation  of  the  American  Sun- 
day-School Union,  in  1824. 

The  Union  works  chiefly  to  establish  Sun- 
day-schools in  needy  places  and  to  prepare 
suitable  books  for  their  use. 

It  started  the  uniform  lesson  idea,  publishes 
excellent  periodicals,  and  introduced  the  Sun- 
day-school library  feature. 
9 


lO 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGt 

II.  THE  AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UN- 

ION— (Continued)  : 

Its  missionary  work  is  pursued  with  great 
vigor  throughout  the  United  States.  One 
man  organized  over  i,ooo  Sunday-schools. 

A  meeting  of  this  Union  was  the  occasion  of 
the  origin  of  our  great  National  Sunday- 
School  Conventions. 

The  Union  is  now  free  from  debt  and  ac- 
tively engaged  in  its  sadly  needed  work. 

III.  THE    NATIONAL    CONVENTION     SYS- 

TEM         53 

The  First  National  Sunday- School  Conven- 
tion was  held  in  1832.  The  second,  held  in 
1833,  was  really  an  adjourned  meeting  of  the 
first. 

The  system  grew  from  local  organizations. 
Its  aim  is  to  reach  every  Sunday-school 
worker. 

The  Third  and  Fourth  National  Conventions 
were  held  in  1859  and  1868,  respectively,  and 
were  highly  successful. 

At  the  Fifth  National  Convention,  held  in 
1872,  the  Uniform  or  International  Lesson 
System  was  inaugurated. 

International  Conventions  have  been  held 
every  three  years  beginning  with  1875. 

The  system  now  includes  a  Primary  Depart- 
ment, a  Field  Workers'  Department,  and  a 
Home  Department,  besides  the  Lesson  Com- 
mittee, the  Executive  Committee  and  the  State 
Associations. 

IV.  THE    UNIFORM    OR    INTERNATIONAL 

SUND.\Y-SCHOOL  LESSON   SYSTEM..     77 

The  American  Simday- School  Union  took 
the  first  important  steps  in  opposition  to  the 


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Contents  1 1 

CHAPTER  PACK 

IV.  THE    UNIFORM    OR    INTERNATIONAL 

SUNDAY-SCHOOL  LESSON  SYSTEM— 

(Continued): 

custom  of  unlimited  memorizing,  and  in  1825 

started  the  Limited  Lesson  Scheme. 

In  1865  the  Rev.  John  H.  Vincent  brought 
the  lessons  practically  to  the  present  form. 

Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs  led  in  efforts  which  re- 
sulted in  the  adoption  of  the  Uniform  Lesson 
System  by  the  National  Convention  of  1872. 

Lesson  Committees  are  appointed  every  six 
years. 

Their  methods  of  work  are  simple  and  they 
have  made  but  slight  changes  since  the  original 
plan. 

V.  INSTITUTES    AND   THE   CHAUTAUQUA 

MOVEMENT     91 

Unitarians  seem  to  have  held  Sunday-school 
institutes  in  New  England  before  the  general 
movement  began. 

Leading  Methodists  urged  the  plan  and  in 
1861  the  first  permanent  Sunday-School 
Teachers'  Institute  was  organized. 

The  movement  spread  rapidly,  but  the  bibli- 
cal museum  feature  waned. 

The  First  Chautauqua  Assembly  was  a  pro- 
tracted Sunday-school  teachers'  institute. 

The  Chautauqua  movement  has  developed 
into  a  unique  system  of  education. 

Through  these  movements  great  impetus  has 
been  given  to  Sunday-school  normal  work. 

VI.  THE    CHURCH    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

WORK    113 

The  Baptists  attend  to  their  Sunday-school 
interests    in    a   variety   of   ways.     They    have 


12  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAfMfc 

VI.  THE   CHURCH   AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 
WORK— (Continued)  : 

played  a  prominent  part  in  undenominational 
Sunday-school  work,  and  a  Baptist  originated 
the  first  Infant  Sunday-school. 

The  Congregationalists  have  a  distinct  and 
energetic  Sunday-school  organization.  They 
use  chiefly  the  International  lessons  but  offer 
an  inductive  series.  They  have  an  active  Su- 
perintendents Union  at  Boston. 

The  Episcopalians  have  only  local  Sunday- 
school  associations.  They  offer  and  use  a  great 
variety  of  lessons,  many  of  which  are  cate- 
chetical. They  have  high  ideals  of  the  Church's 
duty  toward  the  young. 

The  Friends  have  flourishing  First-day 
schools  and  use  a  variety  of  lessons. 

The  Hebrews  differ  among  themselves  in 
many  ways,  but  they  have  a  Sabbath-School 
Union  and  their  schools  require  longer  and 
more  serious  work  than  most  Sunday-schools. 

The  Latter  Day  Saints  have  from  the  first 
given  Sunday-school  instruction  to  the  young. 
They  have  a  Sunday-School  Union,  though 
Sunday-school  work  is  remarkably  well  or- 
ganized under  the  State  authorities.  Much 
is  done  to  direct  and  help  the  teachers. 

The  Lutherans  lay  great  stress  on  the 
Church  nurture  of  the  young,  but  have  only 
recently  given  much  attention  to  Sunday- 
schools. 

The  Methodists  have  from  the  first  been 
leaders  in  Sunday-school  work.  They  have 
a  large  and  progressive  Sunday-School  Union 
which  gives  especial  attention  to  both  mission- 
ary and  normal   work.     Their  General   Con- 


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Contents  13 

CHAPTER  PACK 

VI.  THE    CHURCH    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL 

WORK— (Cotitinued)  : 

ference  requires  and  encourages  the  religious 
instruction  of  the  young.  They  were  virtually 
the  starters  of  the  Sunday-School  Teachers' 
Institute  movement,  and  lead  in  the  Church 
Kindergarten  and  Home  Department  move- 
ments. 

The  Presbyterians  work  mostly  in  the  unde- 
nominational Sunday-school  movements.  They 
teach  chiefly  the  International  lessons  and  the 
Westminster  Catechism. 

The  Reformed  Church  uses  chiefly  the  In- 
ternational lessons  and  the  Heidelberg  Cate- 
chism. It  has  always  charged  itself  with  the 
Christian  training  of  the  young.  Recently 
increased  attention  has  been  given  to  Sunday- 
schools. 

The  Roman  Catholics  have  some  of  the  best 
attended  and  most  carefully  organized  Sun- 
day-schools in  the  country.  The  work  is 
mostly  catechetical.  Their  teaching  appeals  to 
the  child  nature. 

The  Unitarians  were  among  the  first  to  or- 
ganize a  Sunday- School  Society.  They  early 
introduced  graded  lessons.  Their  teaching  is 
not  limited  to  the  Bible,  but  is  of  a  high  grade 
intellectually. 

The  Universalists  were  prominent  in  the 
earliest  Sunday-school  movements.  They  orig- 
inated the  custom  of  "  Children's  Sunday." 
They  are  active  in  many  lines. 

VII.  THE  BIBLE  STUDY  UNION 153 

The  Bible  Study  Union  originated  in  the 
practical  Sunday-school  work  of  the  Rev.  Mr. 


H 


Contents 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

VII.  THE     BIBLE     STUDY     UNION  —  (Coti- 

tinued)  : 

Blakeslee,  and  is  based  upon  certain  educa- 
tional theories. 

Its  organization  and  business  methods  are 
simple. 

Its  lesson  system  is  complex  and  requires  a 
fully  graded  Sunday-school. 

It  has  won  the  services  of  advanced  scholars 
and  has  spread  among  many  denominations 
and  into  distant  lands. 

VIII.  MISCELLANEOUS    164 

The  subject  of  Sunday-school  books  and 
periodicals  would  fill  a  volume. 

A  number  of  organizations  direct  and  en- 
courage home  Bible  study. 

The  Foreign  Sunday-School  Association 
does  not  influence  the  American  Sunday- 
school  system,  but  it  does  a  good  work. 

IX.  CONCLUSION    173 

Part  I.  The  Aim  of  the  Sunday-School 173 

The  aim  of  the  Sunday-school  should  no 
longer  be  intellectual  and  moral,  but  spirit- 
ual. 

School  can  not  supply  the  spiritual  need. 

Home  alone  can  seldom  fully  supply  the 
spiritual  need. 

The  aim  of  the  Sunday-school  stated. 

Part  one  of  the  aim  expanded. 

Part  two  of  the  aim  expanded. 

Part  three  of  the  aim  expanded. 
Part  II.  The  Ultimate  Aim  of  Education 186 

Present  views. 


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Contents  15 


CHAPTER  PAGE 

IX.  CONCLUSION— fCowfiHMed;; 

False  method  of  reaching  them. 

A  philosophical  aim. 

The  relation  of  the  Sunday-school  to  such 
an  aim. 
Part  III.  The  Greatest  Need  of  the  Present 
Sunday-School    191 

The  statement. 

Four  essential  qualifications  of  the  Sun- 
day-school superintendent. 

Neglect  of  these  qualifications. 

Acquisition  of  these  qualifications. 

Use  of  these  qualifications  needed  in  the 
music. 

Use  of  these  qualifications  needed  in  the 
prayers. 

Use  of  these  qualifications  needed  in  the 
general  exercises. 

Use  of  these  qualifications  needed  in  help- 
ing the  teachers. 
Part  IV.  The  Second  Great  Need  of  the  Sun- 
day-School      213 

The  statement. 

Three  essential  qualifications  of  the  Sun- 
day-school teacher. 

Present  lesson  systems  from  this  point  of 
view. 

A  pedagogical  course  of  Bible  study. 

The  amount  of  time  needed. 
Part  V.  The  Final  Problem 226 

The  statement. 

Can  the  State  help  the  Church? 
Neglected  opportunities  of  tlie  Church. 
The  problem  demands  the  united  efforts 
of  both  State  and  Church. 


1 6  Contents 

CHAPTER  PAGE 

APPENDICES    231 

I.  American   Sunday- Schools  before  1800. 
II.  Statistical  report  to  the  International  Sun- 
day-School Convention,  1899. 

III.  Denominational  representation  of  the  Inter- 

national Lesson  Committee. 

IV.  Relative   number  of   International   Lessons 

assigned  to  the  various  books  of  the  Bible. 
V.  The  basis  of  agreement  for  the  formation  of 

the  Bible  Study  Union. 
VI.  The  Constitution  of  the  Bible  Study  Union. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY   ^46 


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Sunday-School  Movements 
in  America 

CHAPTER  I 
EABLY  AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOLS 

Relig^oTis  Instruction   of  tlie  Early   Settlers. 

The  early  New  England  settlers,  unlike  most  of 
the  settlers  of  the  South,  came  to  this  country 
inspired  with  religious  impulses.  They  had  been 
influenced  by  the  great  Reformation  movements; 
they  lived  in  the  time  of  the  Thirty  Years'  War; 
and  their  ministers  were  men  of  ability,  some  of 
whom  were  vainly  urged  to  return  and  take  part 
in  the  work  of  the  Westminster  Assembly.  It 
was  to  be  expected  that  people  such  as  they,  even 
though  surrounded  by  the  necessary  hardships  of 
their  newly  found  home,  would  not  neglect  the 
religious  education  of  their  children. 

Probably  the  most  energetic  colonists  were 
those  of  Massachusetts  Bay,  who  came  to  Amer- 
ica in  1630  and  established  Harvard  College  in 
1636.  With  them  we  find  the  earliest  provision 
for  religious  instruction,  for  an  order  of  the 
General  Court  of  Massachusetts,  in  1642,  and 
the  Connecticut  Code  of  1650,  provided:    "  That 

17 


1 8  Sunday-School  Movements 

all  masters  of  families  do,  once  a  week  at  least, 
catechise  their  children  and  servants  in  the 
grounds  and  principles  of  religion,  and  if  any  be 
unable  to  do  so  much,  that  then,  at  the  least,  they 
procure  such  children  or  apprentices  to  learn  some 
short  orthodox  catechism,  without  book,  that  they 
may  be  able  to  answer  the  questions  that  shall  be 
propounded  to  them  out  of  such  catechisms  by 
their  parents  or  masters,  or  any  of  the  selectmen, 
when  they  shall  have  called  them  to  a  trial  of 
what  they  have  learned  in  this  kind."  ^ 

But  the  religious  culture  of  the  young  was  not 
left  entirely  to  the  masters  of  families.  The 
"  catechizing  of  youth  "  was  found  at  that  time 
among  the  common  stipulations  made  with  clergy- 
men. In  different  parishes  and  localities,  how- 
ever, the  ministers  fulfilled  this  part  of  their  du- 
ties in  very  different  ways.  In  many  cases  relig- 
ious instruction  was  given  to  the  children  on  the 
Sabbath,  and  in  the  church ;  while  in  other  cases, 
especially  among  the  stricter  Puritans,  the  chil- 
dren were  gathered  once  a  week,  or  once  a  month, 
at  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  afternoon,  to  be  cate- 
chised. As  early  as  1860^  the  Pilgrim  Church, 
at  Plymouth,  passed  a  vote  in  these  words: 
"  That  the  deacons  be  requested  to  assist  the 
minister  in  teaching  the  children  during  the  inter- 
mission on  the  Sabbath." 

^  Sunday- Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union,  American  Journal  of  Education,  vol.  XV,  p.  705. 

"Historic  View  of  Sabbath. Schools,  E.  H.  Byington, 
Congregational  Quarterly,  vol.  VII  (1865),  p.  21. 


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Early  American  Sunday-Schools        19 

Besides  the  excellent  system  of  family  and 
church  religious  teaching  in  vogue  among  the 
Puritans,  the  schools  of  those  days  did  much  to- 
ward the  spiritual  training  of  the  children.  Pub- 
lic schools  were  established  by  law  in  Massachu- 
setts in  1647,^  ^^^  soon  after  in  other  New  Eng- 
land colonies.  As  there  was  little  sectarianism, 
religious  influence  was  freely  carried  into  the 
schools.  One  who  attended  a  representative 
school  of  those  days  makes  the  interesting  state- 
ment that  the  teacher  "  constantly  prayed  with  us, 
every  day,  and  catechised  us  every  week."  Even 
the  books  used  in  the  schools  were  mostly  of  a 
religious  character. 

First  Sunday-Schools.  Consequently,  the  few 
Sunday-schools  dating  back  to  the  seventeenth 
century  whose  names  have  come  down  to  us  be- 
long to  an  entirely  different  movement  from  the 
Sunday-schools  started  at  the  close  of  the  eigh- 
teenth century.  The  earliest  Sunday-school  _^Qn_ 
record  seems  to  be  one  at  Plymouth,*  m  1669,  of 
which  the  Rev.  T.  Robbins,  D.  D.,  in  his  address 
at  Williams  College,  says  that  he  has  seen  an  au- 
thentic account.  It  is  also  known^  that  in  1674 
a  Sunday-school  was  established  in  Roxbury, 
Massachusetts,  in  the  Congregational  Church,  at 

•History  of  Sunday- Schools  and  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion, Lewis  G.  Pray,  1847,  p.  194-5- 

'  Historic  View,  p.  21. 

*  Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  705. 


10  Sunday-School  Movements 

which  the  boys  and  girls  were  instructed  after 
morning  service  by  men  and  women  respectively, 
in  the  catechism  and  scriptures.  Still,  we  have  rea- 
son to  think,  that  such  Sunday-schools  were  not 
usual.  The  noted  Dr.  Bellamy,  who  labored  at 
Bethlehem,  Connecticut,  from  1740  until  his 
death,  was  not  following  a  general  custom  when 
he  habitually  met  the  youth  of  his  congregation 
for  the  purpose  of  catechetical  and  biblical  m- 
struction,  and  induced  the  members  of  his  church 
to  assist  in  the  work.  Such  Sunday-schools  were 
not  only  exceptional,  but  they  were  unlike  those 
started  a  century  later,  both  in  being  strictly  re- 
ligious and  in  being  a  development  of  the  New 
England  educational  system. 

The  first  Sunday-school  outside  of  New  Eng- 
land of  which  we  have  knowledge,  and  probably 
the  only  one  of  any  account  existing  before  the 
Revolution,  was  the  Dunker  Sunday-school,  at 
Ephrata,  Lancaster  county,  Pennsylvania.  It  was 
established  by  Ludwig  Thacker,  or  Stiebker,  in 
1740,®  and  was  conducted  by  him  till  1777,  when 
it  was  discontinued  in  consequence  of  the  occupa- 
tion of  the  buildings  of  that  community  for  hospi- 
tal purposes  after  the  Battle  of  Brandywine. 

Raikes'  System  Introduced.  After  the  Revolu- 
tion we  find  entirely  new  conditions.  Ignorance 
and  infidelity  seemed  to  prevail.    The  Church  and 

•  The  Universalist  Origin  of  American  Sunday- 
Schools,  Richard  Eddy,  Universalist  Quarterly,  Oct., 
1882,  p.  449- 


illlllMIIII  t  Itl'IIIII! 


Early  American  Sunday-Schools        21 

the  State  had  become  separate.  Sectarianism 
was  increasing.  In  New  England  the  practice  of 
catechetical  instruction  by  the  clergy  was  almost 
entirely'  abandoned.  In  the  Middle  and  South- 
ern States,  where  there  had  never  been  much  love 
for  learning  or  ardor  for  piety,  little  had  been 
done  during  the  war  for  the  education  of  the  ris- 
ing generation.  Accordingly,  a  new  movement 
started,  and  it  began  in  the  place  of  greatest  need, 
the  Southern  States. 

In  1786,^  Bishop  Asbury  organized  a  Sunday- 
school  on  Robert  Raikes'  plan,  at  the  house  of 
Mr.  Thomas  Crenshaw,  in  Hannover  county, 
Virginia.  Other  Sunday-schools  were  soon 
started.  (See  Appendix  I.)  In  1787,  a  Method- 
ist preacher  in  Charleston,  South  Carolina,  con- 
ducted a  Sunday-school  for  the  African  children 
of  that  city.  In  1793,^  a  poor  African  woman, 
Katy  Ferguson,  knowing  nothing  of  Raikes  or 
of  the  Sunday-schools  elsewhere,  established  one 
that  was  probably  the  first  in  New  York  City,  for 
the  benefit  of  the  poor  street  children  of  the  hum- 
ble quarter  in  which  she  lived.  It  is  said  that  a 
school  for  secular  instruction  on  Sunday  was  or- 
ganized in  New  York  as  early  as  1791,  and  in- 
corporated in  1796.  Between  1801  and  1804,  Mrs. 
Isabella  Graham  and  her  daughter,  wife  of  the  late 

'History  of  Sunday-Schools.  Pray,  p.  199. 

'Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday-School,  H.  Clay  Trum- 
bull, 1888,  chap.  3,  p.  122. 

'  American  Cyclopaedia,  article  on  Sunday- Schools, 
vol.  XV,  p.  190. 


22  Sunday-School  Movements 

Dr.  Bethune,  who  had  become  familiar  with  the 
English  Sunday-schools  while  traveling  in  Eu- 
rope, established  three  of  these  schools  in  New 
York  at  their  own  expense.  Mr.  Samuel  Slater, 
father  of  the  cotton  manufacture  in  America,  es- 
tablished a  Sunday-school,  in  1797,  in  a  room  in 
his  factory  at  Pawtucket,  Rhode  Island,  for  the 
benefit  of  his  operatives. 

The  Sunday-schools  of  this  movement  usually 
had  paid  teachers,  and  the  children  were  mostly 
the  very  ignorant  and  often  vicious  children  of 
the  lowest  classes.  The  principal  books  used  were 
the  spelling-book  and  the  hymn-book. 

Clmrch  Sunday-Schools.  But  while  this  was  go- 
ing on,  the  churches  had  not  entirely  fallen  asleep. 
In  Washington,  Connecticut,  even  in  1781,  it  was 
the  custom  for  the  elders  of  the  church  to  gather 
the  children  around  them  upon  the  shaded  green, 
in  the  summer  Sabbath  intermissions,  and  there 
instruct  them  in  the  Bible  and  the  Assembly's  cate- 
chism. Such  schools  existed  in  other  sections  of 
the  country.  In  the  Episcopal  churches  of  Amer- 
ica the  practice  of  giving  religious  instruction  to 
the  children,  on  Sunday,  openly,  in  the  church, 
has  always  been  followed. 

John  Wesley  sympathized  with  the  Sunday- 
school  movement  in  Great  Britain,  and  as  early 
as  1784,  in  the  first  Discipline  ^**  we  find,  "  Where 

"  Growth  of  the  Sunday- School  Idea  in  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  J.  M.  Freeman,  Methodist  Quarterly 
Review,  July,   1871,  p.  400. 


MwimHwuHtmnnnwiiiHWlllllllllimilllllimilllllllllllilHI 


Early  American  Sunday-Schools       13 

there  are  ten  children  whose  parents  are  in  the 
society,  meet  them  at  least  one  hour  every  week." 
In  addition  to  this,  every  Methodist  preacher  be- 
fore  being    received    was    required    to    solemnly 
promise  that  he  would  diligently  instruct  the  chil- 
dren.     In    1790.    we    find    the    question    asked, 
"  What  can  be  done  in  order  to  instruct  poor  chil- 
dren, white  and  black,  to  read?"     And  the  an- 
swer was.  "  Let  us  labor,  as  the  heart  and  soul  of 
one  man,  to  establish  Sunday-schools  in  or  near 
the  place  of  public  worship.     Let  persons  be  ap- 
pointed by  the  Bishops,  Deacons,  or  Preachers, 
to  teach  gratis  all  that  will  attend,  and  have  ca- 
pacity to  learn,  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning 
till  ten,  and  from  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  till 
six,  when  it  does  not  interfere  with  public  wor- 
ship.   The  Council  shall  compile  a  proper  school- 
book   to   teach   them    learning   and   piety."      So 
classes  of  one  hour  were  formed  for  the  children 
of  parents  able  to  teach  them,  and  other  instruc- 
tion provided  for  poor  children. 

About  this  time,  too,  the  Universalists  and 
other  denominations  began  to  arouse  themselves 
on  the  Sunday-school  question.  As  a  natural  re- 
sult of  the  increasing  interest  which  the  churches 
took  in  the  matter,  early  in  the  nineteenth  century 
there  was  a  general  reaction  from  paid  to  volun- 
tary teachers,  and  from  seailar  to  religious  instruc- 
tion.    This  change,  which  has  been  attributed" 

"  Sunday- Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  707- 


24  Sunday-School  Movements 

to  Wesley,  commenced  about  1809,  and  was  simul- 
taneous with  the  transfer  of  the  control  of  the 

schools  from  individuals  to  churches. 

Attendance  of  the  Upper  Classes.  How  an  in- 
stitution, begun  in  the  interests  of  the  forlorn  and 
uncared  for,  came  early  in  this  century  to  be  not 
only  patronized,  but  attended  by  the  upper  classes, 
remains  an  unsettled  question.  Dr.  Lj-man 
Beecher  thought  perhaps  he  had  had  an  import- 
ant hand  in  bringing  about  this  change.^^  Hq 
told  Mr.  Pardee  that  he  saw  the  tendency  of 
American  Sunday-schools  to  be  stamped  as  only 
for  children  of  the  poor  and  middle  classes,  as 
were  the  English  Sunday-schools.  He  resolved 
to  overthrow  that  system.  He  induced  a  number 
of  the  most  prominent  people  in  his  congregation 
to  send  their  children  to  Sunday-school.  He  took 
his.  "  And  we  all,"  he  said,  "  turned  our  labor 
and  influence  on  the  Sunday-school  movement, 
and  it  gave  an  unheard-of  impetus  to  our  Sunday- 
school,  and  by  means  of  the  press  and  by  letters 
and  personal  conversation  the  facts  became 
known  and  met  with  almost  uniform  approval 
and  adoption  in  our  country,  and  the  reform  soon 
became  complete." 

Rise  of  XJnioTis.  Meanwhile,  another  great 
change  had  begun.  The  Sunday-school  idea  was 
to  be  spread,  and  its  work  improved,  and  this  was 

"The  Sabbath- School  Index,  R.  G.  Pardee,  1868,  p. 
18. 


HHUiiHUIinHtUtllllMlllllltilllDilllHWilll 


Early  American  Sunday-Schools       25 

to  be  done  more  rapidly  than  individuals  or  even 
churches  could  do  it.  Accordingly,  unions  began 
to  spring  up,  the  earliest  of  importance  being  the 
"  First-day  or  Sunday-School  Society  of  Philadel- 
phia," organized  January  11,  1791,  for  the  pur- 
pose of  establishing  Sunday-schools.  This  was 
the  forerunner  of  the  great  "  American  Sunday- 
School  Union." 


CHAPTER  II 

THE  AMERICAN  SUNDAY-SCHOOL  UNION 

The  First  Sunday-School  Association.  Toward 
the  close  of  the  eighteenth  century,  some  citizens 
of  Philadelphia  became  impressed  with  the  great 
need  of  a  united  effort  to  raise  the  condition  and 
improve  the  lives  of  the  boys  of  that  city.  There 
was  in  Philadelphia  at  that  time  no  system  of 
Free  ^  schools.  Accordingly,  as  a  result  of  con- 
ferences between  Bishop  White  of  the  Protestant 
Episcopal  Church,  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush,  an 
avowed  Universalist,  and  Matthew  Carey,  an 
eminent  Roman  Catholic,  a  meeting  of  the  citizens 
of  Philadelphia  was  held,  December  19,  1790, 
"  for  the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the 
establishment  of  Sunday-schools  for  that  city." 
At  a  meeting  on  the  twenty-sixth  of  that  month, 
a  constitution  was  adopted  for  "  The  First-Day  or 
Sunday-School  Society,"  the  first  permanent  as- 
sociation for  the  promotion  of  Sunday-schools  in 
the  United  States,  of  which  we  have  any  authen- 
tic 2  record. 

*  The  History  of  Sunday- Schools  and  of  Religious 
Education,  Pray,  p.  205. 

'  Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union.  American  Journal  of  Education,  vol.  XV,  p.  707. 
26 


BtfMiMii 


American  Sunday-School  Union        27 


On  the  eleventh  of  January,  1791,  the  First- 
Day  or  Sunday-School  Society  was  fully  organ- 
ized. Bishop  White  was  elected  its  first  Presi- 
dent, and  held  the  office  until  his  decease.  The 
object  of  the  Society  is  stated  as  follows  in  the 
preamble  to  the  Constitution :  "  Whereas,  the 
good  education  of  youth  is  of  the  first  importance 
to  society,  and  numbers  of  children^  the  offspring 
of  indigent  parents,  have  not  proper  opportunities 
of  instruction  previous  to  their  being  apprenticed 
to  trades ;  and  whereas,  among  the  youth  of  every 
large  city,  various  instances  occur  of  the  first  day 
of  the  week,  called  Sunday, — a  day  which  ought 
to  be  devoted  to  religious  improvement, — being 
employed  to  the  worst  of  purposes,  the  depravity 
of  morals  and  manners :  It  is  therefore  the  opin- 
ion of  sundry  persons,  that  the  establishment  of 
Sunday-schools  in  this  city  would  be  of  essential 
advantage  to  the  rising  generation ;  and  for  effect- 
ing that  benevolent  purpose  they  have  formed 
themselves  into  a  society." '  The  constitution  re- 
quired that  the  instruction  given  in  the  schools 
established  by  the  organization,  or  receiving  its 
aid,  should  be  confined  to  "  reading  and  writing 
from  the  Bible  and  such  other  moral  and  religious 
books  as  the  Society  may,  from  time  to  time 
direct." 

After  petitioning  the  legislature  in  vain  for  the 
establishment  of  Sundav-schools  as  free  schools, 


•The 

Schools, 
453- 


Universalist     Origin     of     American     Sunday- 
Eddy,    Universalist    Quarterly,    Oct.,    1882,   p. 


28  Sunday-School  Movements 

the  Society  raised  the  necessary  funds  for  com- 
pensating the  teachers,  by  voluntary  contribu- 
tions, and  three  schools  were  opened  during  the 
first  year,  each  with  nearly  two  hundred  scholars. 
By  1800  more  than  two  thousand  *  pupils  had 
been  admitted.  In  1707  the  Society  obtained  an 
act  of  incorporation,  under  which  it  continued  its 
work  up  to  the  year  1816,  when  Sunday-schools 
were  established  on  the  present  voluntary  system. 
From  that  time  it  has  applied  the  income  of  the 
small  fund  it  possessed  to  the  purchasing  of  books 
for  needy  Sunday-schools  in  Philadelphia  and  its 
environs,  and  so  still  continues  its  usefuhiess.  It 
is  stated  on  good  autliority,  that  many  of  the  most 
worthy  citizens  of  Philadelphia  were  indebted  to 
this  Society  for  most,  if  not  all,  of  the  education 
which  they  ever  received.^ 

Other  Early  XTnions.  During  this  time  several 
less  important  societies  of  the  kind  were  formed. 
Among  them  was  the  Evangelical  Society,  started 
1808,  for  promoting  Sabbath -evening  schools  in 
Philadelphia,  with  volunteer  teachers.*  In  1809 
a  systematic  Sunday-school  movement  was  organ- 
ized in  Pittsburg,  Pennsylvania.  In  181 1,  the 
Rev.  Robert  May,  from  London,  gave  a  new  start 

*  Universalist  Origin  of  American  Sunday-Schools,  p. 

454- 

'  History  of  Sunday-Schools  and  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion, Pray.  p.  207. 

'Sunday-Schools,  by  E.  W.  Rice;  Schaff-Herzog, 
Encyclopaedia  of  Religious  Knowledge,  vol.  IV,  p.  2265. 


luiHuiiiiiMlHHIillHiHHHitmH 


American  Sunday-School  Union        29 

to  Sunday-schools  in  Philadelphia,  which  proved 
the  beginning  of  permanent  progress. 

As  a  result  of  a  Sunday-school  started  in  New 
York  City,  1814,  by  Mrs.  Graham  and  her  daugh- 
ter. Mrs.  Divie  Bethune,  and  of  the  suggestion 
of  Mr.  Eleazar  Lord,  who  had  observed  the  work- 
ing of  the  Sunday-school  system  in  Philadelphia, 
"  The  Female  Union  Society,  for  the  Promotion 
of  Sabbath  Schools,"  ^  was  formed  in  New  York 
by  the  benevolent  ladies  of  several  denominations. 
It  convened  by  public  invitation,  January  24, 1816. 
A  constitution  was  adopted,  and  schools  for  the 
instruction  of  females  were  immediately  opened. 
In  1825,  the  Society  had  thirty-eight  schools,  five 
hundred  and  twenty-five  teachers,  and  three  thou- 
sand and  fifty-two  scholars,  under  its  care.  In 
February,  18 16,  the  gentlemen  of  New  York  held 
a  public  meeting  in  emulation  of  the  ladies,  and 
on  the  twenty-sixth  of  the  same  month  the  "  New 
York  Sunday-School  Union  "  was  instituted,  and 
schools  for  boys  were  immediately  put  in  opera- 
tion. During  the  first  year  more  than  sixteen 
hundred  scholars  entered  their  schools.  In  1825 
they  had  fifty-eight  schools,  six  hundred  and  six- 
teen conductors,  and  forty-four  hundred  and 
thirty  scholars. 

About  the  same  time,  in  1816,  was  organized 
the  "  Boston  Society  for  the  Moral  and  Religious 
Instruction  of  the  Poor,"  under  whose  auspices 

'  History  of  Sunday-Schools  and  of  Religious  Educa- 
tion, Pray,  p.  212. 


3©  Sunday-School  Movements 

the  cause  of  Sunday-schools  was  prosecuted  with 
much  vigor.  The  first  school  of  this  Society, 
started  in  1817,  was  the  Mason  Street  Sunday- 
school,  which  has  always  maintained  a  high  repu- 
tation. 

Meantime,  Watt,  Fulton  and  Stephenson  were 
at  work,  the  "  era  of  good  feeling  "  in  the  United 
States  was  dawning,  and  the  pendulum  of  Sun- 
day-school movements  was  destined  to  swing  far 
beyond  the  line  of  local  organizations.  The  pre- 
paratory step  was  the  formation  ^  on  May  26, 
1817,  of  the  "  Philadelphia  Sunday  and  Adult 
School  Union  "  with  this  leading  design,  to  "  cul- 
tivate unity  and  charity  among  those  of  different 
names,  to  ascertain  the  extent  of  gratuitous  in- 
struction in  Sunday  and  adult  schools,  to  promote 
their  establishment  in  the  city  and  in  the  villages 
in  the  country,  to  give  more  effect  to  Christian 
exertion  in  general,  and  to  encourage  and 
strengthen  each  other  in  the  cause  of  the  Re- 
deemer." The  Association  embraced  the  members 
of  the  several  Sunday  and  adult  school  societies 
of  Philadelphia  and  other  parts  of  the  State  of 
Pennsylvania.  In  1821  it  employed  a  missionary 
who  organized  upward  of  sixty  schools,  in  six  dif- 
ferent States.  Later  it  employed  two  missionaries. 
It  issued  also  a  large  number  of  Scripture  tickets 
and  such  matter. 

•  Sunday- Schools   and   the   American    Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  708. 


American  Sunday-School  Union       31 

Origin  and  Object  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School    Union.      Rapidly    the    tendency    towards 
broad  cooperation  increased  till,  in  1820,  the  first 
public  plea  for  a  "  general  Sunday-School  Union 
in  the  United   States "  was  made  by  the   New 
York  Sunday-School  Union,  and  printed  in  its 
Annual  Report.     The  idea  of  a  national  society 
s©on    engaged    the    thoughts    of    Sunday-school 
workers  in  the  various  parts  of  the  country.     A 
plan  for  such  a  society  was  outlined  and  distrib- 
uted for  consideration.      Delegates  from  various 
societies  met  in  Philadelphia.  December  11,  1823, 
and  discussed  and  approved  the  plan,  but  referred 
action  to  the  next  annual  meeting  of  the  Philadel- 
phia   Sunday   and    Adult    School    Union.      This 
second  meeting  ^  "  was  largely  attended  by  prom- 
inent ministers  and  laymen  of  several  different 
denominations,  and  from  fifteen  to  twenty  States 
(there  were  only  twenty-four  States  then)  and, 
after  able   addresses  by   several   representatives, 
the  name  and  constitution  of  the  '  American  Sun- 
day-School Union  '  were  unanimously  approved, 
May   25,    1824."     The   New   York   and   Boston 
Unions  became  auxiliary  to  the  American  Union 
as  the  national  and  parent  Society.    This  organ- 
ization has  been  and  still  is  the  most  enterprising 
and  widely  beneficent  of  all  the  long  list  of  such 
associations  in  America.    Its  objects,  as  stated  in 

«  History  of  the  American  Sunday- School  Union,  by 
E.  W.  Rice.  Sunday-School  Missionar>',  June,  1899,  p.  5- 


32  Sunday-School  Movements 

the  constitution,  quoted  on  the  cover  of  the  an- 
nual reports,  and  kept  constantly  in  view,  are  "  To 
concentrate  the  efforts  of  Sabbath-school  societies 
in  different  portions  of  our  country  ...  to 
disseminate  useful  information ;  circulate  moral 
and  religious  publications  in  every  part  of  the 
land,  and  endeavor  to  plant  a  Sunday-school 
wherever  there  is  a  population." 

Management.  The  affairs  and  funds  of  the  So- 
ciety are  under  the  direction  of  a  Board,  consist- 
ing of  a  President,  Vice-President,  Corresponding 
Secretar}%  Recording  Secretary,  Treasurer  and 
about  thirty  ^**  Managers.  To  avoid  sectarian- 
ism, this  Board  is  restricted  to  laymen  and  in- 
cludes members  of  the  principal  evangelical  de- 
nominations of  the  country.  As  business 
increased  it  was  found  advisable  to  appoint  special 
committees  for  the  important  branches  of  work, 
and  at  present  there  is  a  committee  of  twelve  on 
Publication,  one  of  eight  on  Missions,  one  of  five 
on  Finance,  and  an  Executive  Committee  of  three. 
Most  of  the  members  of  these  committees  are  from 
the  Board.  The  general  membership  of  the  So- 
ciety consists  of  annual  subscribers  of  three  dol- 
lars or  more,  and  life  members  who  have  sub- 
scribed thirty  dollars  at  one  time. 

Publications.  From  the  outset,  two  distinct 
fields  of  labor  opened  before  the  Union,  and  were 
simultaneously  entered  upon, — the  preparation  of 

"Annual  Reports  (recent). 


American  Sunday-School  Union       23 

suitable  books  and  the  establishment  of  schools. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  century  religious  litera- 
ture for  the  young  was  generally  unknown. 
President  Humphrey,  of  Amherst  College,  and 
Dr.  T.  H.  Gallaudet,  who  were  likely  to  be  best 
informed  on  this  subject,  declared  that  they  did 
not  know  of  a  score  of  reading-books  of  any 
kind  suitable  for  the  young,^^  even  when  they 
counted  in  the  short  list  such  sketches  as  "  Glass 
Slipper,"  "  Goody  Two-Shoes,"  "  Bluebeard," 
and  "Who  Killed  Cock  Robin?",  with  "Pil- 
grim's Progress,"  "  Robinson  Crusoe,"  "  Watt's 
Songs,"  and  "  ^Martyrdom  of  John  Rogers." 
Sunday-school  children  were  employed  commit- 
ting to  memory  hjnins  and  passages  of  Scripture, 
and  there  was  no  attempt  at  explaining  the  Bible 
or  helping  them  to  understand  it.  The  Philadel- 
phia Sunday  and  Adult  School  Union  published 
twenty-one  bound  reading-books,  which,  at  the 
time  of  its  absorption  in  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  were  transferred  to  the  new  organ- 
ization, together  with  the  funds  which  amounted 
to  about  $5,000. 

In  the  American  Sunday-School  Union,  the 
finances  of  the  publication  department  are  kept 
entirely  distinct  from  those  of  the  missionary  de- 
partment. The  expenses  here  are  defrayed  from 
the  proceeds  of  the  books  sold,  but  as  the  de- 
partment is  for  charitable,  and  not  money-making 

"  Bird's-eye- View,  by  E.  W.  Rice,  Sundav-Schogl 
Missionary,  Nov.  1895,  p.  7. 


34  Sunday-School  Movements 

purposes,  the  price  of  books  is  as  near  as  possible 
to  the  cost  of  publication,  and  often,  thanks  to 
donations,  merely  nominal.  Where  it  seems  ad- 
visable, books  are  even  given  gratuitously. 

The  "  Committee  of  Publications,"  at  first  con- 
sisting of  only  five  members,  now  of  twelve,  is 
chosen  from  different  evangelical  denominations, 
and  no  publication  is  permitted  that  has  not  their 
unanimous  approval.  The  work  of  this  commit- 
tee has  been  most  varied.  For  the  use  of  some 
schools,  elementary  books  were  needed,  such  as 
primers,  spelling-books,  testaments  and  hymn 
books,  which  were  furnished  at  the  very  low  price 
of  from  two  to  eight  cents  ^^  each.  Since  the 
foundation  of  the  American  Bible  Society,  how- 
ever, the  publication  of  Bibles  and  testaments  has 
been  relinquished,  to  avoid  a  complication  of  in- 
terests ;  and  for  the  same  reason,  upon  the  organ- 
ization of  the  American  Tract  Society,  and  at  its 
request,  the  Union  ceased  the  publication  of  re- 
ligious tracts,  of  which  it  had  previously  issued  a 
large  number. 

As  early  as  1826  the  Society  started  a  system  of 
selected  uniform  lessons.  The  first  step  was  the 
selection  of  a  definite  portion  of  Scripture  for 
the  whole  school.  Next,  came  a  systematic  series 
of  selections  from  the  Gospel  history,  in  chrono- 
logical order,  comprising  forty-seven  lessons  of 
from  ten   to  twenty  verses   each,   printed  upon 

"  Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday- School 
Union,  pp.  710  and  717. 


L 


American  Sunday-School  Union       35 

cards.  Then  a  series  of  question  books  was  de- 
vised by  Rev.  Albert  Judson,  at  this  time  agent 
of  the  New  York  Sunday-School  Union.  After 
this  the  number  of  question  books  for  children 
published  by  the  Society  rapidly  increased,  nu- 
merous aids  for  teachers  and  scholars  were  added, 
and  other  societies  soon  began  to  use  the  same 
plan.  At  the  head  of  the  list  of  Sunday-school 
aids  published  by  the  Society  to-day,"  is  the  well- 
known  Sunday-School  World,  a  monthly,  which 
expands  and  illustrates  the  International  Lessons, 
discusses  manifold  phases  of  Sunday-school  work, 
suggests  new  and  improved  methods,  and  notes 
the  literature  of  interest  to  those  who  would  know 
what  is  being  done  by  others. 

The  Sunday-School  World  leads  not  only  as  a 
lesson  help,  but  as  a  periodical  of  the  Society. 
From  the  first  year  of  the  Union,  when  the  Teach- 
ers' Magazine  was  started  as  a  monthly,  the  Com- 
mittee has  not  ceased  sending  forth  an  interesting 
variety  of  periodicals,  adapted  to  the  demands  of 
the  times.  Copies  of  many  of  these  papers  can 
still  be  seen  at  the  Society's  headquarters  in  Phila- 
delphia, and  an  impressive  idea  of  the  advance- 
ment of  the  age  can  be  gained  by  contrasting  any 
of  the  numerous  current  publications  with  one  of 
seventy  years  ago,^*  in  one  of  the  best  of  which 
we  find  the  articles,  "  Native  Indians,"  "  Happy 
Death  of  a  Sunday-School  Scholar,"  "  Sunday- 

"  Annual  Report,  1898,  p.  12. 
"The  Child's  Magazine,  July,  1828. 


36  Sunday-School  Movements 

School  Anecdote,"  "  The  Robber's  Daughter,"  and 
a  "  Scripture  Question  for  July,  '  How  can  you 
prove  that  God's  providential  care  extends  to  all 
his  creatures  ?  '  " 

Another  excellent  work  has  been  accomplished 
by  this  Department,  namely  the  introduction  of 
the  library  feature  into  Sunday-schools.  At 
first,  as  has  been  said,  the  number  of  books  was 
extremely  limited,  not  above  thirty  or  forty  from 
all  sources,  and  many  of  these  were  reprints  of 
English  books.  The  demand  which  soon  arose 
was  one  which  manufacturers  did  not  care  to  sup- 
ply, for  the  books  had  to  be  cheap  and  unsectarian. 
Such  books  the  Society  undertook  to  furnish.  It 
circulated  its  price  catalogues  all  over  the  land, 
and  by  1827  had  opened  sixty-seven  depositories 
at  various  points.  At  the  annual  meeting  in  1837, 
the  Board  were  instructed  to  prepare  and  furnish 
at  the  lowest  price,  a  small  select  library  for  com- 
mon schools.  A  selection  of  one  hundred  and 
twenty-one  volumes  was  accordingly  made  from 
the  books  of  the  Society,  and  no  labor  or  expense 
spared  to  introduce  them  to  the  notice  of  parties 
interested.  The  selection,  however,  was  generally 
objected  to  as  too  strictly  religious,  and  was 
adopted  in  comparatively  few  instances,  though 
regarded  with  favor  by  those  who  understood  the 
design  of  the  Society  in  preparing  it.  Since  then 
more  successful  libraries  have  been  furnished, 
among  others,  the  present  "  Half-Price  Home 
Library"  issued  monthly  at  $1.15  per  year;  and 


American  Sunday-School  Union       37 

the  total  number  of  volumes  published  by  the  So- 
ciety has  risen  to  the  thousands. 

More  and  more  attention  has  been  given  to  the 
style  as  well  as  to  the  subjects  of  the  books.  The 
illustrations  are  not  mere  pictures  to  amuse  chil- 
dren, but  have  often  been  prepared  at  great  ex- 
pense, and  are  chiefly  ^^  such  cuts  or  engravings 
as  give  a  notion  of  visible  existences,  such  as  the 
geography  and  natural  history  of  the  Bible.  Much 
attention,  too.  has  recently  been  given  to  biog- 
raphy, both  biblical,  as  the  lives  of  Moses.  David. 
Daniel,  Elijah,  John  the  Baptist  and  Paul,  and 
secular,  as  the  lives  of  Washington,  and  sketches 
of  Melancthon,  Knox,  Wishart,  and  Lady  Jane 
Grey. 

Finally,  for  some  years  this  Committee  has 
caused  ^*  the  free  distribution  of  literature  to  hos- 
pitals, asylums,  penitentiaries,  and  houses  of  de- 
tention in  the  United  States,  with  gratifying  re- 
sults. The  chaplains  and  others  in  charge  of  these 
institutions  have  sent  repeated  thanks  and  reports 
of  the  helpful  influences  of  this  literature  in  re- 
forming the  vicious  and  unfortunate  classes.  The 
total  value  of  publications  distributed  by  the  So- 
ciety in  its  various  lines  of  work  has  amounted 
to  over  $9,000,000." 

"Design.  Character  and  Uses  of  the  Books  of  the 
American   Sunday-School  Union   (reprint),  p.  8. 

"Annual  Report,  1898,  p.  n. 

"  Sunday- School  Missionary,  1899;  History  of  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union,  by  E.  W.  Rice,  p.  32. 


38  Sunday-School  Movements 

Establishment  of  schools.  The  other,  and  even 
greater  field  of  labor  upon  which  this  Union  en- 
tered was  that  of  establishing  schools.  The  kind 
of  Sunday-school  contemplated  was  for  religious 
instruction  exclusively,  and  was  to  receive  all 
classes  of  children  and  care  for  them  alike.  Even 
the  First-Day  or  Sunday-School  Society  of  Phila- 
delphia had  in  view  the  moral  rather  than  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  children,  so  that  for  the 
new  schools  there  was  no  precedent. 

During  the  first  year  of  the  Society,  therefore, 
agents,  or  "  missionaries,"  as  they  were  called, 
both  clerical  and  lay,  were  sent  out  to  explore  dis- 
tricts that  were  especially  needy,  and  there  open 
new  schools  or  prepare  the  way  for  them  as  might 
be  practicable,  to  visit  and  encourage  schools  al- 
ready existing,  to  organize  auxiliary  societies, 
and  to  solicit  funds  to  defray  their  expenses.  The 
compensation  paid  to  such  missionaries  did  not 
exceed,  on  an  average,  one  dollar  a  day  for  the 
time  actually  expended.  The  total  expenses  of  the 
missionary  service  for  the  first  two  or  three  years 
were  defrayed  ^^  by  the  voluntary  contributions 
made  at  the  monthly  concerts  of  prayer  for  Sun- 
day-schools, and  by  the  admission  fees  of  mem- 
bers and  auxiliaries. 

In  the  second  year  the  missionary  work  was 
placed  in  charge  of  a  special  committee,  and  a  gen- 
eral agent  was  employed  to  visit  the  different  sec- 

"  Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  710. 


xuiiuiiiituiuuiMuiiiiiitiiiuiHiiiaM 


American  Sunday-School  Union       39 

tions  of  the  country  for  the  purpose  of  awaken- 
ing a  more  general  interest  in  the  Society,  and  to 
obtain  contributions  in  the  larger  cities.  The  pe- 
cuniary results  of  this  plan  were  small,  but  the 
Society  was  encouraged  by  the  increased  favor 
with  which  its  labors  were  received,  and  by  the 
new  openings  for  more  extended  work.  The  re- 
ceipts ^^  of  the  Union,  which  had  been  $4,000  the 
first  year,  were  $9,000  the  second,  $19,000  the 
third,  and  $58,000  the  fourth,  at  the  end  of  which 
year  the  debts  of  the  Union  were  $35,000,  and  the 
effective  capital  was  but  $25,000.  Opportunities 
for  the  organization  of  new  schools  in  the  West, 
however,  were  so  many  and  favorable,  and  calls 
so  urgent  and  incessant,  that  the  Board  were  in- 
cited to  more  extended  labors.  A  meeting  of  del- 
egates representing  the  Sunday-schools  of  four- 
teen different  States,  and  held  at  Philadelphia  in 
May,  1828,  encouraged  the  Society  in  its  endeav- 
ors by  promises  of  cooperation  and  an  immediate 
subscription  of  nearly  $5,000. 

The  Mississippi  Valley  Enterprise.  In  1829  the 
first  permanent  agency  in  the  Western  States  was 
established  at  Cincinnati,  and  that  section  was 
thoroughly  explored  with  a  view  to  a  more  sys- 
tematic missionary  labor.  At  the  anniversary  of 
the  Society  in  May,  1830,  it  was  resolved,  so  far 
as  practicable,  to  organize  a  Sunday-school,  within 

"  Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  713. 


40  Sunday-School  Movements 

two  years,  in  every  destitute  place  in  the  Valley 
of  the  ^Mississippi.  This  plan  was  received  with 
great  favor,  and  entered  upon  with  zeal.  Nearly 
$25,000  was  subscribed  and  collected  in  Philadel- 
phia and  New  York  within  a  few  days,  and  ar- 
dent and  enterprising  missionaries  were  sent  into 
the  field. 

As  this  is  one  of  the  most  important  events  in 
the  history  of  Mission  Sunday-schools  in  America, 
it  is  worthy  of  a  somewhat  detailed  account.  It 
created  a  wave  of  popular  enthusiasm  which 
swept  over  the  whole  country,  and  was  felt  even 
in  Great  Britain.^"  Prominent  ministers  of  all 
denominations,  able  statesmen,  and  noted  mer- 
chants entered  into  the  cause.  Within  two  years, 
the  contributions  to  the  "  Valley  Fund  "  exceeded 
$60,000,  perhaps  not  a  large  sum  to-day,  but 
princely  gifts  for  1830.  Although  the  entire 
population  of  the  Mississippi  Valley  was  at  that 
time  hardly  3,000,000,  it  w-as  rapidly  increasing, 
and  the  persons  who  passed  the  resolution  did  not 
realize  the  magnitude  of  such  an  undertaking,  nor 
how  many  years  it  would  require  to  accomplish 
the  desired  result. 

The  first  missionary  chosen  w-as  B.  J.  Seward, 
who  enlisted  two  others.  Among  the  hundreds 
of  Sunday-schools  formed  by  these  earnest  work- 
ers was  one  at  Winchester,  Illinois,  where  a  little 
child,  Mary  Paxson  by  name,  led  her  father  and 
was  the  means  of  his  conversion.    This  Mr.  Pax- 

**A  Fruitful  Life,  pp.  29-32  (note). 


zmuiiunutiuHMUM 


American  Sunday-School  Union       41 

son  soon  became  the  greatest  of  the  Mississippi 
Valley  missionaries,  and  his  life  -^  shows  the  hard- 
ships as  well  as  the  successes  of  that  occupation. 
As  the  salary  offered  by  the  Society  was  one 
dollar  for  every  day  of  work,  and  Mr.  Paxson 
had  little  else  to  depend  upon,  he  moved  his  family 
from  their  pleasant  home  to  a  rude  log  cabin  in 
a  wilderness  of  Pike  county,  Illinois.    From  there 
he  started  out  upon  his  journeys,  and  with  horse 
and  buggy  traversed  the  places  destitute  of  re- 
Hgious  instruction.     It  was  his  business  to  visit 
all  the  people  in  a  neighborhood  where  there  was 
no  Sunday-school ;  to  invite  them  to  hold  a  meet- 
ing for  the  purpose  of  organization;  to  address 
them  at  this  meeting ;  to  instruct  them  in  the  best 
methods  of  conducting  a  school,  and  to  provide 
them  with  necessary  books  and  papers.     While 
awav  on  these  trips  Mr.  Paxson  could  not  hear 
from  his  home,  as  it  was  before  railroads  covered 
the  West,  and  it  was  impossible  for  him  to  foretell 
his  route.     During  his  short  home  stays,  reports 
had  to  be  made  out,  letters  written,  and  books  or- 
dered for  needy  schools.     It  is  but  just  to  the 
Union  to  say  that  in  1854  Mr.  Paxson's  salar\' 
was  raised  and  he  moved  his  family  to  where  they 
could  have  some  educational  advantages.     Two 
years  later  he  was  called  to  the  East  to  speak  in 
behalf  of  the  work  of  the  Union  before  the  cul- 
tured audiences  of  the  great  cities.     Year  after 
year  he  was  asked  to  return  to  the  East  in  the 

"  A  Fruitful  Life,  by  B.  Paxson  Drury. 


42  Sunday-School  Movements 

winter,  when  he  spoke  every  night  in  the  week 
except  Saturday,  and  from  three  to  five  times  on 
Sunday.  Later  he  gave  much  of  his  time  to  con- 
vention work,  but  his  incessant  toil  told  on  his 
strength,  and  in  1868  the  Society  gave  him  the 
easier  position  of  taking  charge  of  a  Book  De- 
pository in  St.  Louis.  By  the  end  of  his  life,  this 
extraordinary  man,  Stephen  Paxson,  had  traveled 
from  the  Alleghanies  to  the  Rocky  Mountains, 
from  the  Lakes  to  the  Gulf;  had  organized  1,314 
Sunday-schools,  with  83,405  scholars  and  teach- 
ers, where  no  Sunday-schools  had  before  existed, 
besides  encouraging  and  aiding  1,747  other  Sun- 
day-schools ;  and  had  organized  a  large  number 
of  conventions. 

Methods  of  Reporting.  After  such  a  story  it 
will  be  asked :  Is  there  any  way  of  testing  such 
reports  and  statistics?  Each  missionary  is  re- 
quired not  only  to  state  the  number  of  schools  he 
has  organized  and  aided  every  month,  but  also  to 
give  the  location  of  each  school,  the  day  on  which 
it  was  organized  or  aided,  and  the  name  and  post- 
office  address  of  each  superintendent.  These  re- 
ports are  carefully  preserved  in  the  office  of  the 
Secretary  of  Missions,  at  Philadelphia,  and  are 
open  to  the  inspection  of  any  contributor  or  friend 
of  the  Society.  This  system  has  been  found  by 
personal  --  investigation  to  secure  accurate  and 
trustworthy  statem.ents. 

"  A  Brief  View  of  the  Missionary  Work  of  the  Amer- 
ican Sunday-School  Union   (revised),  p.  8. 


IIUUIIIUitlHIUUIIillllllllUlilltllUiHI 


American  Sunday-School  Union       43 

Other  Missionary  Work.  It  is  not  intended  in 
the  above  account  to  give  the  impression  that 
Stephen  Paxson  far  outshone  all  other  missiona- 
ries of  the  Society,  or  that  the  Mississippi  Valley 
scheme  was  the  only  enterprise  of  the  kind  under- 
taken. Other  workers  are  not  mentioned  for  the 
very  fact  that  they  are  so  numerous,  and  the  other 
undertakings  of  the  Union  will  need  less  descrip- 
tion because  one  has  been  given  in  some  detail. 
The  Society's  field  of  labor,  though  it  might  seem 
under  the  constitution  not  to  be  limited,  has  al- 
ways been  confined  to  the  territory  of  the  United 
States,  and  though  repeatedly  solicited,  it  has  al- 
ways refused  to  extend  its  missionary  work  be- 
yond those  limits.  In  1833,  however,  an  earnest 
appeal  was  made  by  the  Board  for  Foreign  Mis- 
sions for  assistance  in  translating  its  works  for  the 
use  of  schools  at  foreign  missionary  stations,  and 
an  agency  was  created  which  raised  over  $3,000 
for  the  purpose.  From  this  fund  appropria- 
tions ^^  were  made  to  the  missions  in  India,  China, 
Greece,  Persia,  Turkey  and  the  Sandwich  Islands ; 
donations  of  books  were  also  made  to  Ceylon 
and  India  missions,  and  for  distribution  in  South 
America,  Russia  and  Prussia,  and  a  depository 
for  the  sale  of  its  books  was  established  at  Cal- 
cutta. Various  translations  have  been  made  of 
the  Society's  publications  into  French,  German. 
Greek,  Swedish,  Portuguese,  Bengalee,  and  some 
other  Indian  languages. 

**  Sunday-Schools   and   the    American    Sunday-School 
Union,  p.  714. 


44  Sunday-School  Movements 

At  the  same  time  special  attention  was  directed 

to  the  Southern  States,  and  after  a  preliminary 
survey  of  the  territory  by  the  Rev.  Robert  Baird, 
D.  D.,  the  effort  was  made  to  supply  the  obviously 
existing  want  of  Sunday-schools  by  missionary 
labor,  as  in  the  Mississippi  Valley.  But  the  at- 
tempt was  met  with  suspicion  and  jealousy. 
Moreover,  although  $30,000  was  contributed  for 
the  object,  the  appropriations  to  this  field  exceeded 
the  donations  by  nearly  $3,000.  Since  then  the 
Society  has  thought  it  unwise  to  depend  upon  the 
temporary  excitement  of  special  enterprises,  and 
has  in  the  main  ceased  to  work  for  such  appro- 
priations. 

The  missionary  work,  however,  has  steadily  in- 
creased and  to-day  covers  almost  the  entire  terri- 
tory of  the  United  States.  The  field  is  divided 
into  eight  or  nine  districts,  the  larger  ones  having 
each  a  special  superintendent.  The  Southern  Dis- 
trict contains  a  population  of  over  sixteen  million, 
nearly  all  living  in  small  towns  and  rural  tracts. 
It  includes  the  destitute  "  poor  whites  "  of  the 
piney  wood  region,  and  illiterate  colored  people  of 
the  poorest  kind;  for  which  latter  three  colored 
missionaries  are  employed.  The  Central  District 
confines  its  work  chiefly  to  Michigan  and  Ohio. 
The  Northwestern  District  is  one  of  the  largest 
and  most  active,  giving  especial  attention  to  the 
frequent  revisiting  of  schools.  Here  also,  con- 
trary to  the  usual  aim  of  the  Society,  some  ener- 
getic city  work  has  been  accomplished,  as  at  Coun- 


iltUUlHUiHUfl 


American  Sunday-School  Union       45 

oil  Bluffs,  Iowa,  where  thousands  of  persons  have 
been  fed  and  clothed,  hundreds  given  employ- 
ment, and  many  rescued  from  evil  lives.  In  this 
quarter  the  "  student  work  "  has  been  most  suc- 
cessful. 

The  department  of  "  student  work  "  had  been 
in  operation  from  about  1850  to  i860,  but  was  dis- 
continued for  want  of  funds,  and  was  not  re- 
newed until  1897.  It  gives  an  opportunity  for 
Christian  work  to  college  or  theological  students 
during  their  vacation.  Reports  were  received 
from  only  thirty-five  of  the  eighty-four  students 
commissioned  bv  the  Union  the  first  summer. 
These  reported  -*  fifty-five  Sunday-schools  organ- 
ized, one  hundred  and  eighty-nine  teachers,  and 
sixteen  hundred  and  twenty-five  scholars;  six 
schools  reorganized;  three  hundred  and  sixty- 
seven  schools  visited  for  the  first  time;  twelve 
thousand  three  hundred  and  seventy-one  visits 
made  to  families,  of  whom  four  hundred  and 
eighty-six  were  without  Bibles ;  thirty-seven  hun- 
dred and  sixty-six  books  distributed.  These  mis- 
sionary students  are  advised  to  explain  the  work 
of  the  Union  at  the  Gospel  Meetings  which  they 
hold,  and  to  take  up  an  offering  for  it.  The 
money  so  obtained  must  be  reported  to  the  So- 
ciety, but  the  student  is  authorized  "  to  retain  as 
his  own,  in  compensation  for  his  services,  a  sum 

•*  Annual  Report  of  1898,  p.  36. 

"Instructions  for  Student  Missionaries  of  the  Amer- 
ican Sunday- School  Union,  p.  6. 


46  Sunday-School  Movements 

not  to  exceed  $30,  for  each  month  spent  in  the 
work. 

The  Pacific  Coast,  Rocky  Mountain,  and  South- 
western Districts  have  fewer  workers  than  the 
Northwestern;  ahhough  their  fields  seem  needy, 
and  more  schools  are  annually  organized  in  the 
Southwestern  District  than  in  any  other.  The 
superintendent  of  this  district  believes  that  more 
people  are  reached  by  planting  many  schools  than 
by  "coddling"  a  few,  and  in  fact  one  of  the 
Southwestern  schools  ^^  which  the  missionary 
founder  was  never  able  to  revisit,  flourished  until 
through  its  influence  five  other  schools  in  adjoin- 
ing neighborhoods  were  established,  which  were 
not  reported  as  the  result  of  the  missionary  work 
of  the  Society. 

In  the  East  the  work  is  entirely  diflFerent. 
Pennsylvania  still  has  two  missionaries.  New 
York  and  New  Jersey  have  a  secretary,  the  mis- 
sionary work  being  now  under  the  care  of  their 
state  associations.  The  duty  of  this  secretary 
seems  to  be  chiefly  to  collect  money  for  the  sup- 
port of  missionaries  in  the  growing  West  and  the 
needy  South. 

New  England  also  has  a  secretary,  at  Boston. 
Of  late  years,  however,  the  movement  of  popula- 
tion from  the  country  into  the  cities,  which  has 
greatly  depleted  the  rural  districts,  has  made  it 
impossible  to  sustain  the  old-time  services  of  re- 
ligion, and  has  left  multitudes  stranded  without 

*' Sunday- School  Missionary,  Nov.,  1895,  p.  10. 


American  Sunday-School  Union       47 

gospel  privileges.  To  meet  this  need,  five  mis- 
sionaries, including  the  wife  of  the  Vermont  mis- 
sionary, are  at  work  in  Maine,  New  Hampshire, 
Vermont  and  Massachusetts,  respectively.  Be- 
sides collecting  funds  for  the  South  and  West,  the 
New  England  secretary  has  been  successful  in  en- 
couraging ladies  to  send  missionary  boxes  to  the 
workers  at  distant  posts.  But  the  most  striking 
feature  of  this  district  has  been  the  employment 
by  the  Society  of  a  native  Chinese  missionary. 
This  missionary  labors  among  those  of  his  own 
nationality  in  Boston  and  other  parts  of  New  Eng- 
land. 

Character  of  the  Schools.  As  a  rule  the  Union 
does  not  work  in  the  large  cities.  The  Sunday- 
school  missionary  goes  where  sometimes  he  is  the 
only  pastor  in  the  section,  visiting  the  people  in 
sickness,  burying  their  dead,  and  counseling 
them  in  hours  of  perplexity.  His  chief  purpose 
from  the  time  he  starts  a  school  is  to  lead  the 
people  toward  its  ultimate  support.  They  are 
free  to  have  the  school  on  the  union  plan,  or  to 
make  it  of  any  evangelical  denomination  the  ma- 
jority may  prefer.  If  the  neighborhood  is  a 
growing  one,  the  missionary  desires  and  expects 
in  time  the  formation  of  a  church.  In  1898,  the 
organization  of  churches  followed  the  establish- 
ment of  Union  Sunday-schools  in  eighty  "  cases. 
Among  the  reasons  for  establishing  the  school 

"^  Report  for  1898,  p.  17. 


48  Sunday-School  Movements 

before  the  church  is  the  fact  that  in  these  rural 
communities  there  are  seldom  enough  of  one  be- 
lief to  form  a  church,  and  they  will  not  unite  ex- 
cept for  the  sake  of  the  children.  These  schools 
become  social  and  moral  centres,  and  encourage 
intellectual  life.  Scores  of  young  people  gradu- 
ate from  these  little  country  Sunday-schools,  to 
enter  academies,  seminaries  and  colleges. 

Conventions  and  Conferences.  Apart  from  these 
two  main  lines  of  work,  yet  as  an  outgrowth  of 
them,  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  has 
been  the  cradle  of  the  International  work ;  for  not 
only  is  the  International  Lesson  System  the  de- 
velopment of  this  Society's  "  Uniform  lessons," 
but  even  the  great  International  Conventions  had 
their  origin  in  the  work  of  this  Union. 

At  a  meeting  ^*  of  the  friends  of  Sunday- 
schools,  held  May  23,  1832,  in  Philadelphia,  on 
the  occasion  of  the  anniversary  of  the  American 
Sunday-School  Union,  and  also  of  the  meeting  of 
the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
it  was  found  that  the  workers  present  represented 
fifteen  States.  After  some  discussion  it  was  re- 
solved to  hold  a  national  convention  of  persons 
actually  engaged  in  Sunday-school  work,  in  New 
York,  on  the  first  Wednesday  of  the  following 
October.  The  object  was  to  deliberate  upon  plans 
for  promoting  the  usefulness  of  the  system  of  re- 

"  Report  of  the  Eighth  International  Sunday- School 
Convention,  1896,  p.  9. 


b» 


American  Sunday-School  Union       49 

Hgious  instruction,  and  to  adopt,  if  possible,  some 
means  of  rendering  it  more  efficient.  A  commit- 
tee was  appointed  to  prepare  a  series  of  interroga- 
tories for  circulation  over  the  land.  They  pre- 
pared seventy-eight  questions  on  the  following 
thirteen  subjects:  Schools  (including  infant 
schools),  Organization,  Discipline,  Visiting, 
Modes  of  Instruction,  Union  Question-Books, 
Other  Question-Books,  Libraries,  Other  Means  of 
Success,  Superintendents,  Bible-Classes,  Adult 
Classes,  jNIiscellaneous.  Twenty-five  hundred  of 
these  papers  were  distributed  to  superintendents 
and  others  in  different  parts  of  the  country. 
About  three  hundred  were  answered ;  some  re- 
plies were  very  copious,  and  the  whole  collection, 
a  quarto  volume  ^®  of  2,400  pages,  was  submitted 
to  the  convention,  and  is  still  to  be  seen  at  the 
Union's  quarters  in  Philadelphia.  The  conven- 
tion assembled  October  3,  1832,  and  was  the  first 
of  the  "  National  Conventions  "  from  which  the 
"  International  Conventions  "  have  grown. 

Besides  these  great  gatherings,  local  confer- 
ences are  held,  at  which  the  experience  and  obser- 
vations of  the  missionaries  are  compared  with 
those  of  the  managers.  For  example,  the  North- 
western District  holds  an  annual  conference  at 
the  Moody  Bible  Institute,  in  Chicago.  In  1855 
a  particularly  interesting  and  profitable  convention 
of  secretaries,  agents  and  missionaries  was  held 

"Bound  Volume  of  the  "  Sunday- School  Teachers' 
Convention,"'  1833. 


I 


50  Sunday-School  Movements 

at  Cincinnati.  We  have  already  seen  that  Stephen 
Paxson  worked  in  conventions ;  but  Sunday- 
school  conventions  have  been  the  special  work  of 
another  organization. 

Incorporation  and  Finances.  With  all  this  in- 
creasing work  how  have  the  finances  of  the  Union 
prospered?  The  cost  of  the  publications  which 
were  given  away,  and  the  expense  of  sending  out 
missionaries,  had  to  be  met  by  benevolent  contri- 
butions, or,  when  the  gifts  were  too  small,  the 
difference  went  to  swell  "  borrowed  money,"  soon 
making  a  burdensome  debt.  At  an  early  date  suit- 
able premises  for  the  use  of  the  Society  were  se- 
cured, at  a  total  cost  of  over  $40,000,  of  which 
one-third  was  contributed  by  the  citizens  of  Phila- 
delphia, and  the  remainder  secured  by  a  mortgage. 

Soon  after  the  Mississippi  Valley  effort  the 
debt  ^°  was  $47,000.  This  was  alarming  for  those 
times ;  a  reduction  in  benevolent  work  and  sharp 
cutting  down  of  business  followed,  and  the  debt 
shrank  one-half.  But  the  financial  crisis  of  1837 
crippled  givers,  business,  and  benevolences  alike, 
and  soon  the  "  borrowed  "  funds  rose  to  $90,000. 
The  burden  of  reducing  this  debt  again  fell  largely 
upon  the  business  department. 

In  1845  the  first  legacy  was  received  by  the 
Society.  This  year,  too,  a  charter  was  granted  to 
the  Union.  More  than  fifteen  years  earlier  the 
Society  had  become  so  extended  that  the  Board 

•'The  Sunday-School  Missionary,  Nov.,  1895,  p.  8. 


American  Sunday-School  Union        51 

of  Managers  sought  an  act  of  incorporation  em- 
powering them  to  hold  a  Hmited  amount  of  prop- 
erty necessary  for  the  carrying  on  of  the  business. 
But  the  apphcation  for  a  charter  met  with  such 
suspicion  and  gave  rise  to  such  a  degree  and  kind 
of  hostihty  from  the  members  of  the  Legislature 
as  was  wholly  unexpected.  The  charter  was  de- 
nied and  the  application  was  not  renewed  till  1845. 

While  the  Society  was  still  struggling  with  its 
debt  a  fresh  gigantic  effort  was  proposed,  to  found 
schools  in  the  still  destitute  communities  of  the 
United  States  and  the  Canadas.  The  missionary 
treasury  was  overdrawn  $76,000,  by  this  fresh 
enterprise,  and  that  sum  had  been  added  to  the 
former  "  borrowed "  money,  when  the  financial 
crisis  of  1857  crushed  the  country.  The  Union 
had  hardly  recovered  from  this  when  the  Civil 
War  cut  off  a  large  army  of  its  friends.  Millions 
of  its  publications  were  soon  wanted  and  freely 
given  to  the  armies  in  camp  and  hospital,  special 
funds  coming  for  the  purpose.  Then  followed 
peace  and  the  resumption  of  work  in  the  great 
South,  calling  for  increased  gifts.  The  debts  ac- 
cordingly grew,  until  the  managers  faced  accumu- 
lated over-expenditures  amounting  to  from 
$200,000  to  $250,000. 

After  several  who  favored  the  overdrafts  had 
shrunk  from  any  attempt  to  remove  the  debt,  a 
plan  was  matured  to  clear  it  off  without  inter- 
fering with  current  benevolent  work.  Mr.  Alex- 
ander Brown  of  Philadelphia  gave  $40,000,  and 


52  Sunday-School  Movements 

in  a  few  years  not  only  was  the  entire  amount 
paid,  but  from  added  bequests  and  gifts,  especially 
by  the  $100,000  from  the  John  C.  Green  estate, 
$50,000  from  the  John  Crerar  estate  and  $78,000 
from  the  Mary  Stuart  bequests,  the  Society  had 
income-bearing  funds  invested  amounting  to  about 
$350,000. 

To-day,  even  after  the  past  few  years  of  de- 
pression beginning  with  1893,  the  Union  is  clear 
from  debt.  It  has  organized  an  average  of  more 
than  three  Sunday-schools  a  day  "  for  over  sixty- 
five  years ;  and  yet,  if  there  was  a  call  for  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union  in  1824,  the  call 
is  far  more  urgent  in  1901,  for  there  are  more 
than  three  times  as  many  children  unreached  by 
Sunday-schools  in  the  United  States,  as  there 
were  children  in  the  nation  in  1824. 

"  A  Brief  View  of  the  Missionary  Work  of  the  Amer- 
ican Sunday-School  Union  (revised  edition),  p.  8. 


db 


CHAPTER  III 

THE  NATIONAL  CONVENTION  SYSTEM 

Early  Conventions.  Early  in  this  centun-, 
especially  during  the  years  between  1820  and  1830, 
local  Sunday-school  conventions  were  held^  in 
many  of  the  Eastern  and  Middle  States,  For  in- 
stance Hartford  county,  Connecticut,  had  a 
County  Sunday-School  Union  ^  which  held  Sun- 
day-school conventions ;  and  the  annual  reports  of 
the  American  Sunday-School  Union  from  1825 
to  1830  show  that  there  were  about  four  hundred 
such  local  organizations  in  active  operation  at  that 
time.  It  was  the  interest  and  profit  derived  from 
this  local  form  of  conference  which  led  to  the 
National  Sunday-School  Conventions  of  1832  and 
1833- 

First  National  Convention.  As  stated  in  the 
chapter  on  the  American  Sunday-School  Union,  at 
a  meeting  of  the  friends  of  Sunday-schools  held 
May  23,  1832,  in  Philadelphia,  on  the  occasion  of 
the  anniversary  of  that  Union,  and  also  of  the 
meeting  of  the  General  Assembly  of  the  Presby- 

*  Sunday-Schools,  article  in  Schaff-Herzog  Encyclo- 
paedia of  Religious  Knowledge,  1891,  by  E.  W.  Rice,  p. 
2265. 

*A  Fruitful  Life,  B.  Paxson  Drury,  p.  42. 

53 


54  Sunday-School  Movements 

terian  Church,  it  was  found  that  the  workers 
present  represented  fifteen  States.  After  some 
discussion  it  was  decided  to  call  a  national  con- 
vention, to  meet  in  New  York  in  the  fall  of  that 
year.  Accordingly,  a  gathering  which  was  the 
first  of  the  great  National  Sunday-School  Con- 
ventions assembled  October  3,  1832,  in  what  was 
called  the  Chatham  Street  Chapel.  The  Hon. 
Theodore  Frelinghuysen,  of  New  Jersey,  was 
chosen  president,  and  about  two  hundred  and 
twenty  delegates  were  enrolled,  representing 
fifteen  states,  more  than  one-half  of  the  then 
Union.  The  body  was  an  imposing  and  influential 
one,  including  many  religious  leaders,  both  clerical 
and  lay.  Its  chief  work  seems  to  have  been  to  re- 
ceive the  answers  to  questions  previously  dis- 
tributed, to  appoint  committees  to  consider  the 
more  important  topics,  and  to  prepare  an  outline 
of  such  topics  under  the  following  heads:  Infant 
Sunday-School  Organization ;  Discipline  of  Sun- 
day-schools, including  Plans  for  Visiting  and  Sus- 
taining Sunday-schools  ;  Plan  of  Instruction  ; 
Sunday-school  Libraries ;  Qualifying  Scholars  to 
become  Teachers ;  Duties  of  Superintendent  and 
Teachers ;  Organization  of  County  and  other 
Unions ;  Propriety  of  having  more  than  one  ses- 
sion a  day.  This  convention  did  not  disband  but 
adjourned  to  meet  in  Philadelphia  the  following 
spring.  ^ 

"Historical  Sketch,  Report  of  gth   (and  also  8th)   In- 
ternational Sunday- School  Convention. 


b» 


HiiiiiiiiiiiiiiHiDiiiiiiiiiiHitXHaiiiaMtfMi 


The  National  Convention  System      55 

Second  National  Convention.  The  Second  Na- 
tional Convention,  '  in  reality  the  adjourned  meet- 
ing of  the  first  convention,  met  May  22,  1833,  in 
the  Cherry  Street  lecture-room,  Philadelphia.  The 
Hon.  Willard  Hall  was  chosen  president.  Only 
nine  states  were  represented  at  this  convention, 
the  reassembling  of  the  convention  being  imprac- 
ticable so  soon  after  the  other  sessions.  It  is 
worthy  of  note,  however,  that  this  body  adopted 
the  recommendation  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  "  that  a  systematic  and  simultane- 
ous canvass  of  the  entire  country  be  made,  to  ob- 
tain scholars  and  enlist  parents  in  the  work,  on 
the  4th  of  July  following.  "  The  various  com- 
mittees made  their  reports,  and  after  a  few  sessions 
of  considerable  interest,  the  convention  adjourned. 
In  the  list  of  National  Conventions  this  and  the 
preceding  are  frequently  counted  as  one. 

It  appears  to  have  been  more  than  twenty 
years  *  after  this  before  either  a  state  or  a  national 
Sunday-school  convention  was  again  held  in  this 
country,  unless  some  state  gatherings  immedi- 
ately followed  the  Second  National  Convention. 

Growth  and  Character  of  the  System.  In  1855, 
a  state  Sunday-school  convention  was  held  in 
Massachusetts ;  but  that  was  more  for  social 
stimulus  than  for  organized  work.  It  was  during 
the  early  autumn  of  1856  that  the  Sunday-school 

*  The  STindav-School  Times,  May  30  1896,  p.  339, 
art.  by  H.  C.  Trumbull. 


56  Sunday-School  Movements 

teachers  of  Massachusetts,  one  thousand  strong, 
paid  a  visit  to  the  Crystal  Palace  and  the  Sunday- 
school  teachers  of  New  York.  ^  They  were  re- 
ceived with  great  cordiality,  and  mingled  de- 
lightedly with  the  Sunday-school  teachers  of  New 
York  and  Brooklyn  during  two  or  three  days, 
closing  with  a  grand  Farewell  Meeting  in  Ply- 
mouth Church,  Brooklyn.  This  proved  so  in- 
teresting and  profitable  that  Massachusetts  called 
a  three-days  State  Sunday-school  Convention  in 
the  city  of  Boston,  later  in  the  fall  of  the  same 
year;  and  New  York  held  its  first  State  Sunday- 
school  Convention,  for  three  days,  in  the  city 
of  Albany,  in  January,  1857.  Both  conventions 
were  highly  profitable,  and  those  states  have 
held  such  meetings  annually  ever  since.  Con- 
necticut also  held  a  State  Convention  in  1857. 
It  was  at  this  time  that  the  plan  of  county 
secretaries  for  organized  and  systematic  effort 
was  inaugurated  in  those  states.  After  this 
other  states.  East  and  West,  followed  with  similar 
organizations,  and  there  has  since  been  no  break 
in  the  course  of  organized  work. 

Meanwhile  the  West  had  been  stimulated  by  an- 
other force.  Stephen  Paxson,  of  Missouri,  the 
great  early  missionary  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union,  was  enthusiastic  over  the  conven- 
tion idea.  He  had  succeeded  in  planting  fifteen 
Sunday-schools   in   Scott  county,    Illinois.     The 

•The  Sabbath-School  Index,  by  R.   S.  Pardee,   1868, 
p.  24. 


The  National  Convention  System     57 

need  of  cooperation,  sympathy,  and  union  soon 
began  to  be  felt  in  this  region,  and  he  determined 
to  call  the  schools  together.  They  met  in  a  two- 
days  convention  in  the  old  Presbyterian  Church 
in  Winchester.  This  is  often  considered  the  first 
county  convention  ever  organized  in  the  United 
States.  It  was  in  1846.  He  then  predicted  that 
the  time  would  come  when  there  vrould  be  a  county 
convention  in  every  county  in  the  state  of  Illinois. 
He  himself  organized  forty  in  that  state.  From 
this  beginning,  it  is  said,®  the  system  of  district, 
county  and  state  conventions  has  sprung. 

Gradually  the  convention  system  has  become 
more  and  more  perfect,  until  to-day  in  most  of 
the  states  the  chain  is  complete.  The  international 
conventions  take  place  every  three  years,  com- 
posed of  delegates  from  each  state,  territory  and 
province.  Once  a  year  there  is  a  state  or  provin- 
cial convention,  composed  of  delegates  from  each 
county  in  the  state  or  province.  Next  comes  the 
county  convention,  composed  of  delegates  from 
each  township  or  district  in  the  county ;  and  last, 
the  township  convention,  that  embraces  every 
Sunday-school  officer  and  teacher  within  its 
boundar\\  The  international  organization  is  the 
watch-tower  from  which  the  whole  field  is  over- 
looked. ■^  The  great  cities  containing  from  250,000 
to  1,000,000  people,  and  the  single  state  of  Nevada 

•A  Fruitful  Life.  pp.  43,  164. 

'Eighth  International  Sunday-School  Convention  Re- 
port, p.  44- 


58  Sunday-School  Movements 

present  almost  the  only  ®  soil  too  hard  or  too  arid 
for  the  seed  of  the  International  Sunday-School 
system. 

Tliird  National  Convention.  The  Third  Na- 
tional Convention  was  held  in  Philadelphia,  Feb- 
ruary 22  to  24,  1859.  Ex-Gov.  James  J.  Pollock, 
of  Pennsylvania,  was  chosen  president.  Seventeen 
states  and  the  District  of  Columbia  were  repre- 
sented, with  one  representative  from  Great  Britain. 
The  meetings  were  held  in  Jayne's  Hall,  and  the 
interest  in  the  exercises  increased  from  session  to 
session  until  that  spacious  audience  room  could 
not  contain  the  people.  A  committee  was  ap- 
pointed to  make  arrangements  for  a  "  similar 
assemblage  of  the  representatives  of  the  evangeli- 
cal Sabbath-schools  of  America.  "  xA.fter  this 
convention  the  Civil  War  interrupted  the  series  of 
such  gatherings  contemplated  by  its  managers. 

The  Movement  in  Illinois.  Meanwhile  a  fire 
was  being  kindled  in  Illinois.  The  first  Illinois 
State  Sunday-School  Convention  was  held  in  1859. 
It  was  not  a  large  gathering,  hardly  a  score  of 
persons  being  present.  Mr.  E.  C.  Wilder,  then 
of  Chicago,  and  the  Rev.  S.  G.  Lathrop  were 
leaders  in  the  movement.  The  three  following 
annual  conventions  were  also  poorly  attended. 
But  in  1864,  at  Springfield,  the  evening  before 
the    opening    service,    Mr.    Moody    said,    "  This 

•  Ninth  International  Sunday-School  Convention  Re- 
port, pp.  97,  227. 


BiuiiiniiiuiiiHiuiiiiiitiiuiHiiniHllii 


The  National  Convention  System     59 

thing  so  far  has  been  a  dead  failure ;  we  must  do 
something  to  give  it  power."  Beginning  with 
a  prayer-meeting,  where  perhaps  half  a  dozen 
were  present,  within  a  day  or  two  the  whole  city 
was  moved.  When  the  delegates  went  back  to 
their  homes  they  carried  the  spirit  of  the  meeting 
over  all  the  state.  From  that  time  Moody, 
Jacobs,  Eggleston,  Wilder,  Reynolds,  Alexander 
Tyng.  J.  V.  Farwell,  Major  Whittle,  P.  P.  Bliss 
and  others  were  aflame  with  the  one  purpose  to 
cover  the  state  with  suitably  organized  Sunday- 
schools.  " 

FoTirth  National  Convention.  In  June,  1868, 
during  the  session  of  the  International  Convention 
of  Young  Men's  Christian  Associations,  at  De- 
troit, an  informal  meeting  of  Sunday-school 
workers  was  held  and  a  plan  was  formed  to  call 
an  international  Sunday-school  convention.  A 
committee,  with  Rev.  Edward  Eggleston  as  chair- 
man, was  appointed  to  further  the  project.  This 
committee,  having  learned  that  the  national  com- 
mittee of  the  Philadelphia  convention  was  still  in 
existence,  united  with  them  and  other  prominent 
Sunday-school  workers  in  issuing  the  call  for  the 
Fourth  National  Convention. 

This  convention  was  held  in  Newark.  New  Jer- 
sey, April  28  to  30,  1869.  Its  main  sessions  took 
place  in  the  First  Baptist  Church,  which,  though 
large,  could  not  accommodate  the  crowds  desiring 

•The  Lesson  System,  by  Simeon  Gilbert,  1879,  pp.  24, 
25- 


6o  Sunday-School  Movements 

to  attend,  so  that  other  meetings  were  organized  in 
other  rooms.  The  convention  was  called  to  order 
by  Mr.  Eggleston.  Mr.  George  H,  Stuart,  of 
Pennsylvania,  was  made  president.  H.  Clay 
Trumbull,  J.  H.  Vincent  and  B.  F.  Jacobs  were 
secretaries.  Twenty-eight  states  and  one  territory 
of  the  Union  were  represented  in  the  membership 
of  the  convention,  besides  the  Dominion  of  Canada, 
England,  Ireland.  Scotland,  Egypt  and  South 
Africa.  The  whole  number  of  delegates  was  five 
hundred  and  twenty-six.  The  entire  attendance 
at  the  convention  was  estimated  at  between  2,500 
and  3,000  persons.  It  was  said  by  the  reporter  of 
the  proceedings  that,  "  The  spirit  and  power  of  the 
exercises  can  only  be  faintly  shadowed.  .  .  . 
Never  before  had  so  many  Sunday-school  leaders 
of  the  land  been  brought  face  to  face.  Taken  as 
a  whole  it  was  the  most  memorable  Sunday-school 
gathering  ever  assembled  in  the  United  States,  if 
not  in  the  world.  " 

Fifth  National  Convention.*  The  Fifth  Nation- 
al Convention  was  held  in  Indianapolis,  April  16 
to  19,  1872;  P.  G.  Gillett,  LL.  D.,  of  Illinois,  be- 
ing president.  Although  smaller  than  that  of  1869, 
this  convention  has  acquired  a  historical  interest 
on  account  of  its  inauguration  of  the  Uniform  or 
International  Lesson  System.  According  to  the 
editor  of  the  Sunday-School  Times,  as  quoted  by 
the  Reports,  "  After  the  earnest  speech  of  Mr.  B. 
F.  Jacobs,  who  had  been  appointed  to  lead  the 

*  See  chap.  IV,  p.  8. 


The  National  Convention  System     6i 

discussion,  and  during  the  brief  speeches  for  and 
against  which  followed,  the  scene  was  indiscrib- 
able.  A  quiver  of  eager  desire  seemed  to  thrill  the 
whole  body.  .  .  .  There  was  scarcely  a  corpo- 
ral's guard  of  opponents  to  the  measure.  Al- 
though in  the  morning  when  the  question  was 
broached,  repeated  cries  of  *  question  '  were  made, 
the  council  of  caution  prevailed,  and  the  measure 
was  not  rushed  through  in  hot  haste,  but  left  for 
the  afternoon  session.  The  ardor  of  its  advocates 
had  not  at  all  cooled  by  the  delay,  the  final  vote 
being  almost  unanimous,  and  its  announcement 
being  greeted  by  the  convention  rising  to  their 
feet  and  singing  the  long  meter  doxology." 

First  International  Convention.  Since  1872, 
when  the  uniform  lesson  system  was  agreed  upon, 
the  conventions  have  met  every  three  years,  and 
have  been  called  International.  A  new  lesson  com- 
mittee has  been  chosen  at  the  alternate  meetings, 
that  is  one  in  every  six  years.  The  First  Inter- 
national Convention  was  held  in  Baltimore,  May 
II  to  13,  1875,  the  Rev.  George  A.  Peltz,  of  New 
Jersey,  being  president.  A  cablegram  of  greeting 
was  received  from  the  Church  of  England  Sun- 
day-school teachers  assembled  in  Exeter  Hall, 
London,  to  which  the  convention  responded. 
Twenty  Canadian  representatives  were  present. 
Besides  this  great  convention,  twenty-one  State 
Sunday-school  conventions  ^<*  were  held  that  year. 

•"  Cyclopaedia    of    Biblical    Literature,    M'Clintock    & 
Stroi^.  1881,  vel.  X,  p.  23. 


62  Sunday-School  Movements 

Second,  Third  and  Fourth  International  Con- 
ventions. The  next  International  Convention  was 
held  in  Atlanta,  Georgia,  April  17  to  19,  1878,  and 
was  the  first  one  held  in  the  South.  Gov.  Alfred 
H.  Colquitt,  of  Georgia,  was  chosen  president. 
The  convention  was  characterized  by  great  en- 
thusiasm at  all  its  sessions,  and  was  the  beginning 
of  thorough  organization  in  Sunday-school  work 
in  the  Southern  states. 

The  Third  International  Convention  was  held 
in  Toronto,  Canada,  June  22  to  24,  1881,  the  Hon. 
S.  H.  Blake  of  that  city  being  chosen  president. 

The  Fourth  International  Convention  is  of 
especial  interest  as  including  a  Primary  Teachers' 
Institute,  and  as  receiving  the  formal  announce- 
ment ^^  of  the  existence  of  the  National  Union  of 
Primary  Sunday-School  Teachers,  organized  the 
month  before.  The  convention  was  held  in  Louis- 
ville, June  II  to  13,  1884,  with  the  Hon.  Thomas 
W.  Bickwell,  of  Massachusetts,  as  president. 

National  Primary  Union.  Primary  work  has 
now  become  a  clearly  defined  department  of 
the  International  Convention  system.  "  The 
idea  that  a  teacher  of  little  children  in  the 
Sabbath  school  needed  any  special  training  origi- 
nated in  the  minds  of  a  few  teachers  in  the  city  of 
Newark,  New  Jersey,  who  held  their  first  meeting 
for  this  purpose  on  February  18,  1870."  ^-     About 

"  Primary  Workers'  Manual,  Phil.,  1897,  p.  33. 

"  International  Primary  Union,  by  Israel  P.  Black,  in 


UlillllUlilHIUHIilllHIIHUItni 


The  National  Convention  System     63 

the  first  of  February,  187 1,  a  Httle  company  of 
infant  class  teachers  in  New  York  ^^  met  "  for 
consultation  as  to  what  means  could  be  adopted  to 
prepare  the  teachers  to  meet  their  little  ones,  and 
how  best  to  advance  the  interests  of  a  class 
which  .  ,  .  was  seen  to  be  one  of  import- 
ance. "  A  regular  series  of  lessons  for  the  Infant 
Class  teachers  was  started  at  once.  Miss  Hattie 
Morris,  of  Brooklyn,  was  invited  to  teach  the  first 
model  lesson,  which  she  did  to  a  class  of  little 
people  from  Olivet  Chapel,  on  February  eighth. 
About  fifty  teachers  were  present  at  this  lesson, 
which  was  given  at  15  Bible  House.  Various 
plans  were  afterwards  tried  for  rendering  these 
lessons  profitable  and  interesting.  Sometimes  one 
teacher  would  give  all  the  lessons  for  one  quarter, 
and  sometimes  the  changes  would  be  more  fre- 
quent. From  February  1881  to  June  1888,  the 
lessons  were  taught  almost  exclusively  by  Mrs, 
Wilbur  F.  Crafts,  under  whose  efficient  manage- 
ment the  Primary  Class  became,  in  1881,  the  New 
York  Primary  Teachers'  Union,  and  many  of  the 
memSers  took  up  a  regular  course  of  normal  study 
and  received  diplomas  from  the  New  York  State 
Sunday-School  Association. 

Meanwhile  other  primary  teachers  had  united. 
The  Philadelphia  teachers  were  the  first  actually 

Report  of  9th  International  Sun  day- School  Convention, 
p.  68. 

"  Silver  Anniversary  of  the  New  York  Sunday-School 
Primary  Union,  1896,  pp.  4-7. 


64  Sunday-School  Movements 

to  form  a  Primary  Union,  which  they  did  on  April 
26,  1879.  Washington  followed  in  1881,  the  same 
year  the  New  York  Union  was  formed.  Before 
long  a  desire  was  expressed  for  a  central  organiza- 
tion, not  merely  as  a  bond  of  union  and  means  of 
improvement,  but  to  spread  the  idea  in  other 
places.  To  Mrs.  Crafts  belongs  the  honor  of  in- 
augurating the  National  Primary  Union,  which 
was  organized  on  May  13,  1884,  at  the  fifth  anni- 
versary of  the  Philadelphia  Union,  and  of  which 
she  was  made  the  president. 

During  the  International  Convention  of  1887, 
the  National  Primary  Union  was  changed  into  the 
International  Primary  Union  of  the  United  States 
and  British  Provinces.  Its  object  according  to 
the  constitution  is  "  Mutual  helpfulness,  for  better 
work  by  correspondence,  publishing,  interchange 
of  papers  on  practical  topics  and  the  formation  of 
Local  Primary  Teachers'  Unions. "  For  some 
years  the  work  of  the  International  Union  was 
confined  to  encouraging  the  formation  of  Primary 
Unions,  which  was  carried  on  by  means  of  cor- 
respondence and  monthly  publications.  Its  official 
organ  is  the  "  Quarterly  Bulletin.  "  By  Septem- 
ber, 1 891,  forty  Unions  had  been  formed,  "  which 
were  mostly  large  Unions  in  important  centers  of 
the  country.  "  At  the  convention  of  1893  fifty 
Unions  were  reported,  and  at  the  convention  of 
1896  one  hundred  and  ten  Unions  were  reported. 
At  this  latter  gathering,  the  International  Primary 
Union  was  made  auxiliary  to  the  International 


lUllilllillliiHIItlilllliifli 


The  National  Convention  System     65 

Convention.  Its  constitution  was  amended  to 
cover  this  new  relation,  and  provision  was  made 
for  a  Primary  Council  consisting  of  a  representa- 
tive from  each  state  and  province.  This  council 
held  its  first  meeting  in  connection  with  the  con- 
vention of  1899.  There  is  also,  according  to  pro- 
vision made  in  1896,  a  Central  Committee  of  the 
Council,  appointed  to  act  for  the  Council  between 
the  meetings  of  the  International  Conventions.  In 
some  states  a  primary  secretary  is  employed  to 
organize  primary  work  and  lecture  on  primary 
methods  of  instruction.  All  the  teaching  of  this 
Union  is  supposed  to  be  given  in  connection  with 
the  International  Sunday-school  lessons.  The 
movement  is  rapidly  spreading,  and  at  the  Conven- 
tion of  1899  over  three  hundred  and  ten  Primary 
Unions  were  reported  in  good  working  order. 

Fifth  and  Sixth  International  Conventions.  The 
Fifth  International  Convention  was  held  in  Bat- 
tery "  D  "  Armory,  Chicago,  June  i  to  3,  1887. 
Mr.  William  Reynolds,  of  Illinois,  was  elected 
president.  The  session  of  the  convention  for 
primary  workers  was  held  in  Farwell  Hall,  and 
was  led  by  Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn,  of  Massachu- 
setts. 

The  Sixth  International  Convention  was  held  in 
Pittsburg.  Pa.,  June  24  to  27,  1890,  Hon.  John  G, 
Harris,  of  Alabama,  being  president.  The  execu- 
tive committee  submitted  an  exhaustive  report  of 
the  work  done  in  the  field,  the  then  present  condi- 


66  Sunday-School  Movements 

tion  as  to  organization,  the  importance  of  organi- 
zation, the  need  of  more  workers,  Sunday-school 
statistics,  financial  plans,  and  other  interesting 
matters.  The  reports  from  the  field  were  hailed 
with  delight,  conveying,  as  they  did,  much  en- 
couragement, and  inspiring  the  Sunday-school 
workers  to  resolve  to  achieve  greater  triumphs  be- 
fore the  next  convention. 

The  Executive  Committee  and  Field  Workers. 

The  executive  committee  and  the  lesson  committee 
represent  the  two  great  departments  of  the  work 
of  the  International  Convention  system.  The  latter 
will  be  described  in  a  separate  chapter.  The  execu- 
tive committee  is  composed  of  sixty  members,  one 
from  each  state  and  territory  in  the  United  States, 
and  each  province  in  Canada.  These  are  recom- 
mended by  the  states,  territories,  or  provinces,  and 
elected  for  three  years.  During  the  interval  be- 
tween the  conventions,  the  work  is  directed  by  the 
executive  committee,  which  meets  annually,  and 
by  the  central  committee  of  the  executive  commit- 
tee, which  is  called  by  the  chairman  as  often  as  is 
necessary.^*  The  executive  committee  employs  a 
field  superintendent,  also  several  field  workers,  and 
a  colored  field  superintendent  who  labors  among 
his  own  people  in  the  South. 

The  work  is  conducted  through  the  system  of 
conventions  and  institutes  held  in  the  various 
states  or  provinces,  counties,  and  townships  or  dis- 

"  Work  of  the  International  Sunday- School  Conven- 
tion, B.  F.  Jacobs,  n.  d.  1896  (?),  p.  i. 


The  National  Convention  System     67 

tricts.  The  design  is  to  reach  every  Sunday-school 
and  every  teacher  in  the  land.  The  local  ingather- 
ing is  done  by  house-to-house  visitation,  and  the 
upbuilding  is  accomplished  by  normal  classes. 
This  work,  together  with  that  of  the  lesson  com- 
mittee, is  designed  to  cover  "  the  entire  range  of 
Sunday-school  work  save  the  planting  of  schools, 
which  is  left  to  the  several  denominations  and  the 
Sunday-school  unions."  ^" 

In  1892  a  number  of  field  workers,  who  were 
invited  in  conference  with  the  international  execu- 
tive at  Chautauqua,  became  deeply  impressed  with 
the  significance  of  their  work,  and  also  with  their 
limitations  as  individuals.  Deeming  that  oppor- 
tunity for  mutual  contact  and  counsel  would  tend 
to  strengthen  and  improve  each  field  worker  so 
privileged,  they  then  and  there  organized  a  field 
workers'  conference.  For  seven  ^^  successive 
years  evidence  has  continued  to  justify  the  wisdom 
of  maintaining  such  a  body,  by  the  steady  increase 
of  membership  and  by  the  practical  results  to  the 
work.  Triennial  conferences  are  held  in  connec- 
tion with  the  International  Conventions,  and  other 
conferences  in  the  intervals.  The  organization  has 
also  arranged  for  an  exchange  among  its  members 
of  a  large  number  of  periodicals,  besides  other 
helpful  and  practical  literature.    The  work  of  this 

"The  Sunday-School  Times,  May  30,  1896,  p.  343, 
article  by  William  Reynolds. 

"Report  of  Field  Workers'  Department,  Alfred  Day; 
Report  of  9th  International  Sunday-School  Convention, 
1899,  p.  48. 


68  Sunday-School  Movements 

body  owes  much  of  its  success  and  influence  to  the 
untiring  labors  of  Mrs.  M.  H.  Fergusson,  who  for 
six  years  acted  as  secretary.  In  1899  the  "  Field 
Workers  "  were  first  honored  by  a  distinctive  place 
on  the  general  programme  of  the  International 
Convention. 

Seventh  International  Convention.  The  Seventh 
International  Convention  was  held  in  St.  Louis, 
Missouri,  in  connection  with  the  Second  World's 
Sunday-School  Convention  and  the  First  Confer- 
ence of  Field  Workers,  from  August  30  to  Sep- 
tember 5,  inclusive,  1893.  Hon.  Lewis  Miller,  of 
Ohio,  was  chosen  president.  The  chief  discussion 
at  this  convention  related  to  the  international  les- 
sons, and  the  system  was  approved.  In  connec- 
tion with  the  World's  Sunday-School  Convention 
a  movement  to  introduce  Sunday-school  work 
into  Japan  was  started,  many  persons  contribut- 
ing one  dollar  apiece  to  begin  a  fund  for  the  pur- 
pose. Also  it  was  unanimously  resolved  by  both 
bodies,  "  That  it  is  the  sense  of  this  convention 
that  the  Home  Class  Department  of  the  Sunday- 
school  is  a  most  practical  and  efficient  method  of 
Sunday-school  work,  and  we  do  most  heartily  com- 
mend its  adoption  by  all  schools,  and  urge  that  all 
State  and  Provincial  Associations  make  definite 
and  systematic  efforts  to  secure  its  general  adop- 
tion. '' 

Home  Class  Department.  The  idea  of  the  Home 
Class  Department  may,  for  practical  purposes,  be 


The  National  Convention  System     69 

said  to  have  originated  with  W.  A.  Duncan,  Ph. 
D.,  the  same  year  that  the  Christian  Endeavor 
movement  was  begun.  Dr.  Duncan  says/^ 
"  While  attending  a  District  Sunday-school  con- 
vention in  New  York  state  in  the  spring  of  1881, 
a  woman  who  had  a  class  which  she  held  on  a 
veranda,  expressed  to  the  writer  her  regret  that 
her  pastor  showed  no  sympathy  in  her  work. 
Living  among  those  who  did  not  and  could  not  at- 
tend Sunday-school,  she  had  gathered  a  class  of 
students  upon  her  porch  for  the  study  of  the  Sun- 
day-school lesson.  It  was  her  idea  that  she  \vas 
doing  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school  fully  as 
much  as  any  teacher  attending  its  sessions,  and 
that  her  efiforts  should  receive  the  same  recogni- 
tion and  help  accorded  to  other  Sunday-school 
workers.     .     .     . 

"  Instantly  the  writer  saw  large  possibilities  in 
extending  the  boundaries  of  the  Sunday-school  to 
the  furthest  limit  of  the  parish.  This  special  case 
suggested  to  him  the  idea  of  the  Home  Class,  or 
Home  Department^  of  the  Sunday-school  as  a  new 
and  important  feature  of  Sunday-school  work.  He 
immediately  proposed  a  fundamental  change  in 
the  basis  of  Sunday-school  membership,  a  change 
so  radical  and  important  that  when  it  was  pre- 
sented to  Bishop  Vincent,  he  pronounced  it  the 
most  valuable  innovation  in  Sunday-school 
methods  that  had  been  proposed  in  one  hundred 

"  Report  of  oth  International  Sunday- School  Conven- 
tion. 1899.  pp.  103-115. 


yo  Sunday-School  Movements 

years.  The  suggested  change  was  the  extension 
of  the  privileges  of  Sunday-school  membership, 
with  all  its  rights  and  privileges  of  Sunday-school 
membership,  with  all  its  rights  of  religious  and 
social  fellowship,  invitations  to  the  regular  church 
and  Sunday-school  services,  and  to  all  entertain- 
ments, picnics,  etc.,  and  the  free  use  of  Sunday- 
school  helps  and  library  books,  to  all  students  who 
could  not,  or  would  not,  attend  the  regular  Sun- 
day-school, but  who  were  willing  to  study  the 
lesson  outside  the  school  room,  keep  a  record,  and 
report  the  same  to  the  superintendent  of  the  main 
school.  It  was  the  application  of  the  University 
Extension  and  C.  L.  S.  C.  methods  of  work  to 
Bible  study,  and  made  the  Sunday-school  as  broad 
as  the  parish.     .     .     ." 

Early  in  1882  Dr.  Duncan  devised  the  plan  of 
appointing  Sunday-school  visitors,  "  who  were  to 
divide  and  canvass  the  parish  for  students,  and 
exercise  continuous  visitation  and  supervision  over 
the  classes  organized  by  them.  "  At  first  many 
superintendents  and  pastors  opposed  the  plan  of 
home  classes,  fearing  that  its  successful  operation 
would  destroy  the  Sunday-schools.  But  experi- 
ence in  New  York  state  soon  proved  that  through 
the  work  of  the  visitor  the  attendance  at  the  regu- 
lar Sunday-school  is  increased. 

Home  class  work  was  commenced  in  Kansas  in 
1883,  in  Connecticut  in  1884,  in  Vermont  and 
New  Jersey  in  1885,  and  in  other  states  soon  after- 


The  National  Convention  System     71 

wards ;  tliough  on  the  whole  it  spread  very  slowly 
for  the  first  ten  or  twelve  years. 

Meanwhile  others,  not  aware  of  this  beginning, 
started  work  which  diifered  in  some  features,  yet 
aimed  at  the  same  general  end.  The  Congrega- 
tional Sunday-School  and  Publishing  Society, 
about  the  year  1885,  issued  a  circular-letter  pre- 
pared in  substance  by  the  Rev.  Samuel  W.  Dike, 
LL.  D.,  for  the  purpose  of  introducing  what  they 
called  the  "  Home  Department  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  "  This,  like  the  Home  Class,  required  the 
studying  of  the  lesson  for  not  less  than  a  half-hour, 
and  the  filling  out  of  pledge  and  report  cards  to  be 
sent  to  the  Sunday-school  superintendent.  It  dif- 
fered, however,  from  Dr.  Duncan's  original  idea 
in  making  the  home,  that  is  the  family  rather  than 
the  formal  class,  the  unit.  It  enlisted  individuals 
or  members  of  a  family  directly  in  the  school,  and, 
avoiding  even  the  word  '"  class,  "  sought  to  bring 
out  the  home  idea  at  this  time  "  when  congrega- 
tions and  classes  of  all  sorts  are  drawing  attention 
away  from  the  home  altogether  too  much."  ^^ 

These  two  movements  were  before  long  united, 
and  to-day  the  Home  Department  embraces  the 
ideas  of  many  earnest  workers.  It  includes  four 
kinds  of  "  Home  Classes  " : — individual,  family, 
neighborhood  and  correspondence.    An  interesting 

"The  Sunday-School  Time?,  July  28.  i8q4,  p.  447. 
art.  by  S.  VV.  Dike;  see  also  number  for  Oct.  30,  1897, 
p.  696. 


72  Sunday-School  Movements 

phase  of  the  work  is  that  carried  on  among  rail- 
road men,  pohcemen,  firemen,  street  car  men,  com- 
mercial travelers  and  soldiers.  Especial  letters 
were  sent  to  the  United  States  army  in  connection 
with  the  late  Spanish  war. 

Home  Departments  are  denominational,  like 
most  Sunday-schools,  but  there  in  an  interde- 
nominational phase  of  cooperation  in  the  canvass 
and  supervision  of  large  districts.  In  the  state  of 
New  York,  Home  Department  Unions  or  Town 
Associations  were  formed  in  the  very  earliest  years 
of  the  movement.  As  a  result  of  the  resolutions 
adopted  by  the  Seventh  International  Convention, 
in  1893,  the  Home  Department  has  since  that  time 
been  a  regularly  organized  branch  of  interde- 
nominational Sunday-school  work.  Five  years 
later,  at  the  meeting  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  Executive  Committee  in  Philadelphia,  it 
was  decided  to  add  to  the  previous  requirements 
for  becoming  a  "  banner  "  township,  that  of  "  mak- 
ing Home  Department  work  one  of  its  special 
features.  "  A  "  banner "  township,  county  or 
state  is  one  fully  organized  according  to  the  na- 
tional plan.  Indiana  is  now  a  banner  state.  Every- 
one of  its  ninety-two  counties  has  adopted  the 
Home  Qass  Department  work,  and  each  has  a 
superintendent  whose  duty  it  is  to  push  it.  The 
statistics  for  the  United  States  and  Canada,  pre- 
sented at  the  International  Convention  of  1899, 
show  forty-eight  states  and  districts  as  having 
undertaken  this  work,   a  total  of  five  thousand 


The  National  Convention  System      73 

four  hundred  and  ninety-seven  Home  Depart- 
ments, and  a  total  membership  of  one  hundred  and 
eighty-three  thousand,  three  hundred  and  ninety- 
seven. 

Eighth  International  Convention.  The  Eighth 
International  Convention  was  held  in  Boston, 
Massachusetts,  June  23  to  26,  1896.  Hon.  S.  B. 
Capen,  of  Boston,  was  elected  president.  The 
sessions  of  the  convention  proper  were  held  in  the 
Auditorium  of  Tremont  Temple.  Two  other  halls 
of  the  same  building  were  also  used,  besides  Park 
Street  Church  which  was  used  for  committee 
meetings  and  for  a  special  noonday  service  con- 
ducted by  Mr.  IMoody.  Each  day's  work  was  be- 
gun with  a  devotional  hour  under  ]Mr.  ^Moody's 
direction. 

Ninth  International  Convention.  The  Ninth 
International  Convention  was  held  in  Atlanta, 
Georgia,  April  26  to  30,  1899,  with  the  Hon.  Hoke 
Smith,  of  Georgia,  as  president.  The  regular  ses- 
sions were  held  in  the  Grand  Opera  House,  while 
the  meetings  of  the  Field  Workers'  Conference 
and  of  the  Primary  Union  were  held  in  the  First 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  At  the  request  of 
the  International  Executive  Committee.^  and  in 
order  to  be  in  close  relation  to  the  International 
Sunday-School  Convention,  the  two  above  men- 
tioned organizations  slightly  modified  their  con- 
stitutions, and  adopted  the  names  of  the  Field 
Workers'  Department  of  the  International  Sun- 


74  Sunday-School  Movements 

day-vSchool  Convention  and  The  Primary  Depart- 
ment of  the  International  Sunday-School  Conven- 
tion, respectively.  The  two  papers  most  strongly 
in  cooperation  with  this  great  work  are  the  Sun- 
day School  Times,  of  Philadelphia,  and  the  Inter- 
national Evangel,  of  St.  Louis.  The  latter  sent 
a  special  train  of  delegates  to  the  convention ;  and 
the  former  gave  all  the  delegates  a  trolley  ride  over 
the  principal  thoroughfares  of  the  city.  On  the 
whole  the  convention  was  considered  "  one  of  the 
largest,  most  harmonious  and  successful  Sunday- 
school  meetings  ever  held.  It  was  remarkable  for 
the  fidelity  with  which  the  program  was  carried 
out,  and  the  results  accomplished.  " 

State  Associations.  The  work  of  the  different 
states  differs  more  or  less  in  character  as  well  as 
in  completeness,  but  all  seem  to  have  *^he  same 
end  in  view,  and  it  is  difficult  to  show  in  a  short 
space  the  vast  amount  of  time  and  labor  devoted  to 
this  cause.  In  some  of  the  most  active  states  the 
entire  organization  seems  to  hang  on  one  or  two 
individuals,  and  the  methods  used  are  the  expres- 
sion of  personality  rather  than  the  reproduction  of 
machinery.  In  Massachusetts,  for  example,  the 
State  Association  may  be  said  to  have  been  begun 
in  1889,  though  some  such  organization  existed 
before  that  time.  Its  life  and  success  are  largely 
due  to  the  devoted  interest  and  practical  help  of 
Mr.  W.  N.  Hartshorn.  At  his  suggestion  Miss 
Bertha  F.  Vella,  an  accomplished  Primary  worker, 


The  National  Convention  System     75 

first  began  systematic  organization.  The  state, 
consequently,  is  especially  strong  in  Primary  work. 
Unlike  the  other  states,  it  is  not  organized  by  coun- 
ties and  townships,  but  is  divided  into  fifty-three 
districts,  each  district  organization  reaching  the 
Sunday-schools  and  individual  workers  directly. 
The  system  is  complete,  and  special  maps  are 
issued  that  all  may  understand  its  workings. 

Illinois,  too,  though  one  of  the  first  states  or- 
ganized, has  by  no  means  dropped  into  mere 
mechanical  forms.  Owing  to  Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs, 
Mr.  W.  B.  Jacobs,  and  others,  it  is  continually  ad- 
vancing new  methods.  The  Loyal  Sunday-School 
Army  is  one  of  its  special  features.  This  "  Army  " 
aims  to  do,  as  well  as  to  know,  and  holds  up  the 
model  "  On  Time  Every  Time ;  a  Learned  Lesson 
Every  Time,  and  an  Offering  for  Christ  Every 
Time.  "  According  to  the  system,  simple  records 
are  to  be  kept,  credits  given,  and  rewards,  usually 
certificates,  presented  to  those  who  reach  a  fixed 
degree  of  excellence.  Illinois  is  also  especially 
strong  in  Normal  work,  hundreds  of  graduates 
receiving  the  State  Sunday-School  Association 
diplomas  every  year.  Many  County  Normal  Su- 
perintendents have  been  appointed,  and  post- 
graduate courses  are  encouraged.  Lender  exist- 
ing conditions  "  union  "  normal  classes  are  still 
necessary  in  many  places,  but  the  aim  is  to  have  a 
teachers'  training  class  in  every  Sunday-school.^' 

"39th  Illinois  State  Sunday-School  Convention  Re- 
port, 1897,  pp.  25-29. 


76  Sunday-School  Movements 

General.  The  object  of  this  entire  International 
Convention  system  is  Organization  for  Evangeli- 
zation. A  good  summary  is  presented  by  the  Sec- 
retary, Mr.  M.  D.  Byers,  in  his  Statistical  Re- 
port 2"  of  1899,  where  he  says,  "  There  are  many 
signs  of  advance  along  the  line.  City  Sunday- 
School  Unions  are  springing  up  in  the  larger 
cities;  special  attention  is  being  given  to  house 
visitation  in  large  cities,  counties  and  states,  with 
a  great  degree  of  success. '  Great  advance  is  evi- 
dent in  the  various  departments  of  the  work,  es- 
pecially in  the  Normal,  Home  and  Primary  De- 
partments. We  have  at  present  fifty-seven  States, 
Provinces  and  Territories  organized,  of  which 
twenty-three  .  .  .  (see  appendix  II)  "are 
considered  thoroughly  organized,  fourteen  .  .  . 
where  the  organization  is  considered  good,  and 
twenty  .  .  .  where  the  organization  is  fair, 
leaving  but  six  unorganized.    .    .    . 

"  Field  Workers,  Missionaries  and  Secretaries 
are  now  employed  in  thirty-three  States,  Provinces 
and  Territories,  the  total  number  being  sixty- 
seven.  Wherever  paid  workers  are  employed  the 
results  are  good  and  the  reports  are  always  better. 
Much  has  been  accomplished  in  a  general  way 
since  the  Boston  Convention  by  our  International 
Field  Workers,  especially  by  way  of  strengthening 
and  upbuilding  the  State  and  Provincial  organiza- 
tions. " 

'"9th  International  Convention  Report,  p.  255. 


CHAPTER  IV 

THE  UNIFORM  OR  INTERNATIONAL  SUNDAY- 
SCHOOL  LESSON  SYSTEM 

Preparatory  Movements.  The  American  Sun- 
day-School Union,  formed  in  1824,  ^  did  much  to 
accustom  the  minds  of  the  people  of  our  nation  to 
the  thought  of  popular,  united  Bible  study,  irre- 
spective of  sectarian  divisions.  It  also  took  the 
first  steps  towards  improving  the  loose  and  care- 
less methods  of  Bible  study  practised  early  in  this 
century.  In  1825  -  it  inaugurated  the  "  Limited 
Lesson  Scheme,  "  a  reaction  against  the  then  ex- 
isting custom  of  ceaseless  memorizing.  This 
scheme  provided  a  five  years'  course  including  the 
principal  parts  of  the  Bible.  It  was  in  the  form 
of  text  and  questions  and  was  widely  adopted.  ^ 
Rev.  Albert  Judson  was  engaged,  in  1826,  to  pre- 
pare a  monthly  series  of  questions  on  the  lessons 
for  the  use  of  teachers.  *    The  following  year  Mr. 

'  American  Journal  of  Education,  vol.  XV,  Sunday- 
Schools,  p.  708. 

'  The  International  Evangel,  Massachusetts  Edition, 
May,  1895,  p.  21. 

'  Sunday- School  Work,  Pedagogical  Seminary,  June, 
1896.  p.  384. 

*The  Lesson  System,  by  S.  Gilbert,  1879,  p.  11  ff. 

77 


yS  Sunday-School  Movements 

Judson  published  a  question  book,  designed  as  "  a 
first  annual  course  of  instruction.  "  Two  years 
later  it  was  stated  that  "  the  Selected  Lessons  are 
now  almost  universally  introduced  "  and  the  ad- 
vantage was  claimed  that  every  class  was  to  re- 
ceive instruction  on  the  same  lesson  at  the  same 
time. 

In  1832  the  first  National  Sunday-School  Con- 
vention was  held.  From  that  time  conventions  and 
institutes  did  much  to  mould  sentiment  in  favor  of 
plans  to  improve  Sunday-school  instruction  and 
to  increase  interest  in  this  line.  Little  advance, 
however,  was  made  in  the  lesson  system  till  1864, 
when,  at  a  convention  in  Springfield,  Illinois,  Mr. 
Moody  inspired  the  delegates  with  new  life  and 
Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs,  Mr.  Eggleston  and  others  re- 
turned to  their  homes  aflame  with  zeal. 

Beginiungs.  The  "  Sunday-School  Teacher." 
In  1865  Rev.  John  H.  Vincent,  then  a  young 
Methodist  preacher  in  Chicago,  conceived  the  idea 
of  the  "  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Quarterly,  " 
since  called  the  "  National  Sunday-School 
Teacher. "  ^  He  was  supported  in  this  by  the 
"  Chicago  Sunday-School  Union.  "  This  society 
undertook  to  be  responsible  for  the  salary  of  Mr. 
Vincent,  who  gave  his  whole  time  to  the  services 
of  the  '*  Union.  "  The  leading  idea  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Teachers'  Quarterly  is  shown  in  the  first 
number,   where   we  find   such   introductory  sen- 

'  The  Lesson  System,  p.  25  flf. 


The  International  Lesson  System      79 

tences  as  "  The  teacher  needs  teaching.  The 
problem  that  perplexes  one,  another  is  able  to 
solve.  "  "  The  obscure  school  has  its  ingenious 
and  successful  superintendent  who  devises  prac- 
ticable plans.  There  are  a  thousand  schools  in 
need  of  his  suggestions.  "  A  special  feature  of  the 
Quarterly  was  its  four  optional  series  of  lessons, 
one  of  them  arranged  from  the  London  Sunday- 
School  Union,  and  one  prepared  by  the  editor. 
At  the  beginning  of  the  following  year  the  Quar- 
terly became  a  monthly  named  "  The  Sunday- 
School  Teacher. " 

Mr.  Vincent's  lesson  scheme  was  called  "  Two 
Years  with  Jesus:  A  New  System  of  Sunday- 
School  Study.  "  It  included  twenty-four  lessons 
for  the  year,  two  Sabbaths  being  given  to  each  les- 
son. These  lessons  ware  accompanied  in  the 
"  Teacher "  by  analysis,  notes,  questions,  maps, 
anecdotes  and  other  illustrations  of  the  lesson. 
Also  in  connection  with  each  lesson  was  a  single 
selection  of  Scripture  to  be  memorized,  called  the 
"  Golden  Text  " ;  and  "  Home  Readings  "  were 
appointed  in  much  the  same  way  as  in  modern 
leaflets.  A  "  Plan  of  Analysis  "  was  proposed 
and  followed,  designated  by  four  P's  and  four 
D's:  Parallel  Passages,  Persons,  Places,  Dates, 
Doings,  Doctrines  and  Duties. 

Only  slight  improvements  have  been  made  upon 
that  plan  since  then.  Every  feature  was  not  new, 
but  the  completeness  of  the  scheme  was  new,  and 
it  introduced  a  new  era.     It  presented  the  first 


8o  Sunday-School  Movements 

series  of  analytical  lesson  notes  and  scholars' 
papers  ever  periodically  issued  in  the  United 
States,  if  not  in  the  world,  and  they  were  unde- 
nominational. A  large  number  of  schools  in  Chi- 
cago and  vicinity  at  once  adopted  the  system,  and 
the  first  year  four  thousand  copies  of  the 
"  Teacher "  and  twenty  thousand  copies  of  the 
"  Lesson  Paper  "  were  published.  The  plan  was 
found  to  work  admirably. 

But  before  the  close  of  the  first  year  the  Rev. 
Mr.  Vincent  was  convinced  that  providential  indi- 
cations called  him  to  labor  in  his  own  denomina- 
tion. He  therefore  severed  his  connection  with 
the  Chicago  Union,  May  first,  1866,  having  been 
editor  of  the  "  Quarterly  "  one  year,  and  of  the 
"  Monthly  "  four  months ;  and  went  to  New  York 
to  serve  in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Sunday-School  Union.  He  continued,  how- 
ever, to  prepare  lessons  for  the  "  Sunday-School 
Teacher "  throughout  the  year.  He  was  suc- 
ceeded as  editor  by  the  Rev.  H.  L.  Hammond,  who 
occupied  the  position  four  months,  and  he  in  turn 
was  succeeded  by  Mr.  C.  R.  Blackall,  who  was 
editor  five  months.  The  "  Teacher  "  then  passed 
from  the  control  of  the  Chicago  Sunday-School 
Union  to  that  of  the  firm  of  Adams,  Blackmer, 
and  Lyons.  Fortunately  the  Rev.  Edward  Eggles- 
ton,  also  a  young  Methodist  minister,  at  this  time 
became  editor.  Under  Mr.  Eggleston  the  scheme 
came  into  wide  repute  and  was  changed  in  1869 
to     the     "  National     Sunday-School     Teacher. " 


The  International  Lesson  System      8i 

Within  three  or  four,  years  "  The  Teacher  "  at- 
tained a  monthly  circulation  of  thirty-five  thousand 
copies,  and  the  "  Scholars'  Lesson  Paper  "  a  cir- 
culation of  more  than  three  hundred  and  fifty 
thousand. 

Efforts  for  National  Uniformity.  In  the  fall  of 
1865,  at  an  institute  held  by  the  Chicago  Union 
the  question  had  been  formally  proposed  by  Mr. 
Vincent :  Is  it  practicable  to  introduce  a  uniform 
system  of  lessons  into  all  our  schools  ?  Dr.  Eggles- 
ton,  on  the  other  hand,  stoutly  opposed  any 
scheme  of  general  prescribed  uniformity  in  Sun- 
day-schools, as  being  repressive  of  individuality 
and  freedom.  Meanwhile  many  denominational 
papers  were  allowed  to  copy  the  "  Teachers'  "  les- 
sons. Rivalry  and  imitation  increased  the  tend- 
ency toward  uniformity,  until  finally  Mr.  B.  F. 
Jacobs  of  Chicago  conceived  the  idea  of  extending 
the  benefit  of  uniformity  to  the  whole  country  and 
so  to  the  whole  world.  In  1868  he  induced  the 
"  Standard,"  the  Baptist  paper  of  the  West,  pub- 
Ushed  in  Chicago,  to  begin  the  printing  of  weekly 
lesson  notes  prepared  by  himself.  These  were  the 
first  lesson  notes  published  regularly  by  any 
weekly  paper  in  this  country.*^  Soon  after,  he 
visited  the  East  and  urged  the  adoption  of  his 
plan  by  editors  there. 

Mr.  Jacobs  also  began  to  agitate  the  subject  be- 
fore Conventions  and  Sunday-school  Associations, 

•The    International    Evangel,    Massachusetts    edition. 
May.   1895,  p.  21. 


82  Sunday-School  Movements 

though  not  without  strong  opposition  from  many 
quarters.  In  1869,  having  charge  of  the  separate 
conference  of  superintendents,  he  reported  to  the 
National  Convention  in  Newark,  New  Jersey,  in 
favor  of  uniform  lessons.  At  Mr.  Jacobs'  sug- 
gestion, too,  representatives  from  twenty-nine 
religious  publishing  houses  met,  August  8,  1871, 
to  consider  the  subject.  This  meeting  finally 
resolved  to  try  the  experiment,  and  appointed 
a  committee  of  five  to  select  a  series  of  lessons 
for  1872.  The  five  appointed  were  Drs.  Eg- 
gleston,  Vincent  and  Newton,  Rev.  H.  C.  Mc- 
Cook  and  Mr.  B.  F.  Jacobs.  Three  of  this 
committee  in  the  absence  of  the  two  others, 
decided  it  could  not  be  done  then,  and  sent  a 
notice  to  the  papers  headed  "  Uniform  Lessons — 
The  Failure.  "  By  Mr.  Jacobs'  persistence,  how- 
ever, the  decision  was  reversed  the  next  morning, 
the  card  to  the  public  recalled,  and  a  notice  pub- 
lished that  a  series  of  lessons  would  soon  be  forth- 
coming. 

At  first,  not  a  single  denomination  '^  was,  as  a 
denomination,  in  favor  of  the  International  Lesson 
plan.  Nearly  every  great  religious  publishing 
house  was  opposed  to  it ;  nor  could  any  one  of  these 
houses  adopt  it  without  rendering  useless  valuable 
plates  and  copyrights  of  series  of  lesson  helps.  Dr. 
Eggleston  himself  wished  his  lessons  to  be  adopted 
rather  than  a  union  series  formed.    Nevertheless, 

^  Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday-School,  by  H.  C. 
Trumbull,  chap.  3,  p.  137. 


The  International  Lesson  System      83 

difficulties  were  overcome  and  the  first  series  of 
uniform  lessons  was  that  prepared  for  1872  by 
Mr.  Jacobs  and  his  committee. 

Inauguration  of  the  Lesson  System.  The  Fifth 
National  Sunday-School  Convention  was  held  *  at 
Indianapolis,  Indiana,  in  April,  1872.  Twenty-two 
states  and  one  territory  of  the  Union  were  repre- 
sented by  two  hundred  and  fifty-four  delegates  au- 
thorized according  to  the  terms  of  the  call,  and  by 
eighty-four  representatives  without  such  authori- 
zation. Representatives  were  also  present  from 
Canada,  Great  Britain,  and  India.  The  interest  of 
this  convention  culminated,  as  was  expected,  in  tlie 
uniform  lesson  question.  Earnest  speeches  were 
made  both  for  and  against  the  measure,  and  an 
intensity  of  feeling  was  exhibited  that  is  rarely 
seen  in  a  public  assembly.  When  at  last  the  ques- 
tion was  put,  the  measure  was  carried  by  a  strong 
majority.  In  accordance  with  the  vote,  the  first 
committee, — consisting  of  five  clergymen  and  five 
laymen  from  the  United  States,  and  one  clergyman 
and  one  layman  from  Canada, — was  appointed  to 
select  the  lessons  for  the  first  seven  years'  course, 
from  1873  to  1879. 

History  of  the  lesson  Committee.  The  original 
command  laid  upon  the  committee  was  merely  as 
far  as  possible  to  embrace  a  general  study  of  the 
whole  Bible,  alternating  between  the  Old  and  New 

*  Report  of  8th  International  Sunday- School  Conven- 
tion, 1896,  pp.  II,  12. 


84  Sunday-School  Movements 

Testaments  semi-annually  or  quarterly,  as  they 
deemed  best.  Every  six  years,  or  at  every  second 
International  Convention,  a  new  committee  has 
been  appointed.  At  the  Atlanta  Convention  in 
1878  the  number  of  persons  on  the  committee  was 
increased  from  twelve  to  fourteen,  beside  two 
members  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of  London, 
England,  to  act  as  corresponding  members.  Six 
members  of  the  first  committee  were  appointed  on 
the  second  committee.  At  the  Louisville  Conven- 
tion, in  1884,  eight  members  of  the  second  com- 
mittee were  appointed  on  the  third. 

The  fourth  committee,  formed  at  the  Pittsburg 
Convention  in  1890,  was  of  fifteen  members  beside 
the  English  corresponding  members  and  a  corre- 
sponding member  in  France.  Thirteen  members  of 
the  third  committee  were  appointed  on  this,  four 
having  served  from  the  beginning.  This  com- 
mittee was  instructed  to  provide  a  Temperance 
Lesson  once  in  each  quarter,  in  the  regular  order, 
if  possible,  and  if  not  then,  at  the  end  of  the 
quarter.  At  the  St.  Louis  Convention,  in  1893,  all 
restrictions  except  the  Temperance  Lesson  were 
withdrawn,  leaving  the  committee  at  liberty  to 
depart  from  the  course  previously  selected,  if  a 
better  plan  was  found.  At  this  time,  too,  the  course 
of  study  was  shortened  from  seven  years  to  six. 
The  period  of  seven  years  had  been  chosen  as  rep- 
resenting the  length  of  time  an  average  child  at- 
tends Sunday-school.  It  will  be  seen  that  owing 
to  the  previous  arrangement  of  lessons  lasting  for 


The  International  Lesson  System      85 

seven  years  and  committees  holding  office  only  six 
years,  this  fourth  committee,  which  was  elected  in 
1890  to  hold  office  till  1896,  prepared  lessons  to 
be  used  from  1893  to  1899. 

At  the  Convention  in  Boston,  in  1896,  a  new 
committee  of  fifteen,  beside  the  corresponding 
members,  was  formed.  Eight  of  the  last  com- 
mittee were  re-elected,  and  no  new  instructions 
were  given. 

Methods  of  Work.  These  lesson  committees  are 
not  formed  at  random  or  by  nominations  from  the 
floor.  The  members  are  most  carefully  chosen 
with  reference  to  denominational  and  territorial 
representation,  as  well  as  to  personal  qualifications. 
(For  denominational  representation,  see  appen- 
dix III.)  The  meetings  are  held  in  widely  distant 
cities,  and  usually  six  or  eight  times  during  each 
period  of  six  years.^  The  traveling  expenses  of 
the  committee  are  paid  by  the  leading  publishers  of 
the  International  Lesson  Helps,  and  no  other  ex- 
penses have  been  incurred.  Time  and  thought 
have  been  freely  given  for  love  of  the  cause. 

The  method  of  selecting  the  lessons  is  for  the 
American  Committee  to  first  arrange  and  agree 
upon  an  outline  for  the  entire  term,  and  second, 
to  select  the  lessons,  usually  a  dozen  or  so  verses 
each,  with  the  Titles  and  Golden  Texts  for  one 
year.  This  selection  is  then  sent  to  the  correspond- 

•  Report  of  8th  International  Sunday-School  Conven- 
tion, 1896,  p.  168. 


86  Sunday-School  Movements 

ing  members  of  the  committee,  and  carefully 
considered  by  them.  After  three  or  four  months 
it  is  returned  to  the  American  Committee  with 
such  changes  or  modifications  as  the  corresponding 
members  think  best  to  make.  At  the  next  meeting 
of  the  American  Committee  the  work  is  carefully 
reviewed  and  revised,  the  suggestions  from  abroad 
are  accepted  or  declined,  as  is  thought  best,  and  in 
some  instances  new  changes  are  made.  The  les- 
sons as  revised  are  then  sent  to  the  press.  The 
development  of  the  lessons  is  left  absolutely  to 
each  denomination  or  publisher. 

Principles  and  Advantages.     The  fundamental 

principles  "  that  govern  this  system  are : — 

First,  a  uniform  lesson  for  all  grades  in  all 
schools.  This  enables  the  publishing  houses  by 
cooperation,  and  incites  them  by  competition,  to 
employ  the  best  talent  available.  Twenty-five 
years  ago,  when  the  system  was  started,  the  ad- 
vantage in  this  line  was  no  small  consideration. 
This  uniformity  also  increases  the  usefulness  of 
teachers'  meetings  for  the  study  of  the  lessons ; 
it  enables  people  in  different  grades,  perhaps  mem- 
bers of  the  same  family,  to  more  easily  help  each 
other  and  feel  in  unity ;  and  it  facilitates  the  chang- 
ing of  a  scholar  from  one  school  to  another. 

Second,  substantially  the  whole  of  the  Old  and 
New  Testaments  to  be  covered  by  the  lessons  in 
equal  proportions.    This  is  to  prevent  the  neglect 

"  The  Sunday- School  and  Its  Work.  The  Independent, 
Feb.  4,  1897,  A.  F.  Schauffler,  D.D. 


The  International  Lesson  System       gy 

of  large  portions  of  the  Bible,  as  is  apt  to  be  the 
case  when  less  systematic  work  is  required.  A 
glance  at  the  relative  number  of  lessons  assigned 
to  the  various  books  of  the  Bible  from  1873  ^o 
1899  will  show  how  the  lessons  have  been  dis- 
tributed. (See  appendix  I\'.)  More  than  one- 
third  of  the  lessons  have  been  from  the  Gospels. 

Third,  the  course  to  be  completed  in  six  years. 
As  the  average  child  was  found  to  attend  Sun- 
day-school for  seven  years,  he  will  thus  have  cov- 
ered the  entire  ground  of  the  Bible. 

Fourth,  a  temperance  lesson  to  be  chosen  in 
each  quarter  of  each  year. 

Primary  Adaptation.  For  some  years  the  ques- 
tion of  having  separate  lessons  for  the  primary 
has  been  agitated.  At  the  St.  Louis  Convention,  ^^ 
in  1893,  the  lesson  committee  formally  asked  "  Is 
it  3'our  judgment  that  we  would  better  hereafter 
have  a  separate  series  of  lessons  for  the  Primary 
Department  ?  or,  do  you  still  adhere  to  the  plan  of 
uniform  lessons  for  all  classes  and  in  all  the 
schools?"  This  question  was  discussed  in  the 
Primary  Workers'  Conference,  held  in  the  Second 
Presbyterian  Church  in  St.  Louis  during  the  Con- 
vention. No  such  meeting  of  primary  workers 
had  ever  before  been  held.  The  results  reached 
were  embodied  in  a  resolution  earnestly  desiring 
that  the  old  plan  be  continued  ;  and  after  the  report 
of  this  conference  was  presented  to  the  Conven- 

"  Report  of  Sth  International  Sunday-School  Conven- 
tion, 1896,  pp.  169-170. 


88  Sunday-School  Movements 

tion,  not  a  voice  was  there  raised  in  opposition  to 
the  decision. 

Nevertheless,  at  the  meeting  of  the  lesson  com- 
mittee, held  in  Philadelphia  in  the  fall  of  1894, 
a  large  body  of  primary  workers  met  it  with  peti- 
tions for  a  separate  primary  course.  Among  the 
petitioners  were  many  of  the  most  influential 
workers  for  whom  the  convention  exists,  and  they 
assured  the  committee  that  the  best  interests  of  the 
common  cause  would  be  served  by  the  course  sug- 
gested. The  committee  took  the  facts  laid  before 
them  into  most  careful  consideration.  Though 
still  in  favor  of  uniformity,  the  committee  deter- 
mined to  try  the  experiment.  They  received  help 
from  persons  who  had  made  a  special  study  of  the 
child-mind,  and  selected  a  course  of  optional  pri- 
mary lessons,  for  one  year.  The  special  lesson  list 
first  appeared  in  the  Sunday  School  Times  of  the 
twenty-eighth  of  September,  1895. 

Recent  Measures.  With  the  exception  of  the 
optional  primary  lessons,  the  committee  has  so  far 
worked  purely  chronologically  through  the  Bible, 
with  no  educational  ideals.  The  recent  lessons, 
however,  have  shown  a  tendency  to  keep  to  one 
subject,  as  the  Life  of  Christ,  or  the  Acts  and 
Epistles,  for  a  continuous  year.  It  was  urged, 
too,  at  the  Boston  Convention,  1896,  that  it  was 
not  wise  to  have  four  temperance  lessons  a  year. 
But  as  some  wanted  twelve  temperance  lessons  a 
year,  no  change  was  made. 


The  International  Lesson  System      89 

The  new  committee,  whose  lessons  began  with 
1900,  have  planned  ^^  to  make  a  course  of  study 
giving  two  and  a  half  years  to  the  Old  Testament, 
and  three  and  a  half  to  the  New  Testament,  in- 
cluding a  year  and  a  half  of  continuous  study  of 
the  Life  of  Christ,  by  the  use  of  a  harmony  of  the 
four  Gospels.  The  course  has  begun  with  the 
lessons  on  the  Life  of  Christ.  Prominence  is  to 
be  given  to  biography ;  selections  from  the  Proph- 
ets and  Epistles  are  to  be  studied  in  chrono- 
logical sequence  in  connection  with  the  historical 
parts ;  and  parallel  and  related  passages  are  to  re- 
ceive greater  attention  than  heretofore. 

The  lesson  committee  appointed  a  sub-commit- 
tee to  consider  the  matter  of  a  separate  primary 
course,  the  one  offered  by  the  last  committee  hav- 
ing been  given  up  after  a  trial  of  one  year.  Many 
communications  and  suggestions  were  received 
from  both  America  and  Great  Britain,  but  after 
extended  investigation  the  committee  decided  that 
"  it  could  not  at  present  unite  on  any  separate 
plan  of  lessons  for  primary  classes  which  would  be 
generally  acceptable  in  connection  with  the  Inter- 
national Lesson  System." 

On  the  whole  the  committee  has  decided  to 
"  keep  most  prominently  in  mind  those  who  most 
need  its  help,  that  is,  those  least  able  to  select  a  fit 
course  of  lessons  for  themselves."  This  suggests 
to  those  better  prepared  for  Sunday-school  teach- 

"  Report  of  9th  International  Sunday-School  Conven- 
tion, 1899,  pp.  51-53. 


saaaa^ 


po  Sunday-School  Movements 

ing  the  need  of  care,  lest  they  measure  themselves 
by  low  standards.  At  present  Sunday-school  work 
is  beset  with  problems,  but  strong  hands  are  grap- 
pling with  the  difficulties,  and  time  alone  can 
show  what  advances  will  be  made  in  the  new 
century. 


CHAPTER  V 

INSTITUTES  AND  THE  CHAUTAUQUA  MOVE- 
MENT 

The  Institute  Idea.  As  early  as  1833,  ^^• 
Channing  said,  "  Higher  ability  is  required  for 
the  office  of  an  educator  of  the  young,  than  for 
that  of  a  statesman."  He  frequently  dwelt  on  this 
thought  and  sought  to  inspire  others  with  an  ap-. 
preciation  of  the  teacher's  high  office.  In  1837  he 
said :  "  One  of  the  surest  signs  of  the  regeneration 
of  society  will  be  the  elevation  of  the  art  of  teach- 
ing to  the  highest  rank  in  the  community.  .  .  . 
Socrates  is  now  regarded  the  greatest  man  in  an 
age  of  great  men.  The  name  king  has  grown 
dim  before  that  of  apostle.  To  teach,  whether  by 
word  or  action,  is  the  highest  function  on  earth." 
He  pleaded  for  an  institution  in  which  teachers 
should  be  professionally  trained.  That  same  year 
he  preached  his  great  sermon  on  Sunday-schools 
at  the  meeting  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School 
Society  where,  after  describing  the  importance  of 
knowledge  and  skill  on  the  part  of  the  teacher, 
he  said,  "  Like  all  schools,  the  Sunday-school  must 
owe  its  influence  to  its  teachers.  I  would,  there- 
fore, close  this  discourse  with  saying,  that  the 
91 


g2  Sunday-School  Movements 

most  gifted  of  our  congregation  cannot  find  a  wor- 
thier field  of  labor  than  the  Sunday-school.  .  ." 
Since  1837,  institutes  for  the  improvement  of 
teachers  and  methods  in  the  public  schools  have 
been  frequently  held.  Mr.  Barnard,  who  was 
prominent  in  originating  and  conducting  these 
gatherings  said:^  "A  Teachers'  Institute  is  a 
gathering  of  teachers — old  and  young,  experienced 
and  inexperienced,  of  both  sexes,  and  of  different 
grades — in  such  number  as  will  develop  the  sym- 
pathies and  power  of  a  common  pursuit,  and  yet 
not  so  large  as  to  exclude  the  freedom  of  individ- 
ual action ;  for  a  period  of  time  long  enough  to 
admit  of  a  systematic  plan  of  operations,  and  yet 
not  so  protracted  as  to  prove  a  burdensome  ex- 
pense, or  an  interruption  to  other  engagements; 
under  the  direction  of  men  whose  only  claim  to 
respect  and  continued  attention  must  be  their  ex- 
perience and  acknowledged  success  in  the  sub- 
jects assigned  them,  and  in  a  course  of  instruction 
at  once  theoretical  and  practical,  combined  with 
opportunities  of  inquiry,  discussion  and  familiar 
conversation." 

Beginnings.  Before  long  Sunday-school  work- 
ers began  to  feel  the  desirability  of  this  form  of 
instruction,  and  to  see  its  appropriateness  for  Sun- 
day-school teachers.  Even  before  this  movement, 
as  long  ago  as  1827,  the  New  York  Sunday-School 

'  The  Lesson  System,  by  Simeon  Gilbert,  1879,  pp. 
18-20. 


The  Chautauqua  Movement  93 

Union, ^  in  its  Eleventh  Annual  Report,  had  par- 
ticularly recommended  this  plan  "  of  a  school 
for  the  training  of  Sabbath-school  teachers."  But 
the  recommendation  appears  not  to  have  been  car- 
ried out.  The  Unitarians,  perhaps  owing  to  Dr. 
Channing's  influence,  seem  to  have  adopted  the 
plan  earlier  and  with  less  effort  than  other  Sun- 
day-school bodies.  The  Rev.  Henry  G.  Spaul- 
ding,  when  secretary  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society,  spoke  ^  of  a  Sunday-school  teach- 
ers' institute  held  by  that  society  in  1854,  as  though 
there  was  nothing  unusual  in  such  a  gathering. 
Possibly  these  institutes  were  but  slightly  differ- 
ent from  what  other  workers  held  under  the  name 
of  "  conventions."  However  this  may  be,  the 
wide-spread  national  movement  was  not  an  out- 
growth of  this  Unitarian  beginning. 

In  1847,  the  Rev.  Dr.  D.  P.  Kidder,  correspond- 
ing secretary  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday- 
School  Union,  suggested  that  the  teachers'  insti- 
tute, so  profitable  to  public  school  teachers,  would 
be  of  use  in  improving  the  haphazard  methods  of 
Sunday-school  work  then  in  vogue.  He  strongly 
urged  the  formation  of  "  Normal  Sunday- 
Schools."  The  next  year  he  renewed  his  appeal, 
but  expressed  his  discouragement  in  the  words 
"  We  confess,  however,  that  we  fear  the  day  is 

'The  Sabbath- School  Index,  by  R.  G.  Pardee,  1868, 
P-  32. 

*  Sixty  Years  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School  So- 
ciety, Henry  G.  Spaulding,  1887,  p.  12. 


94  Sunday-School  Movements 

distant  when  the  Church  will  take  as  high  ground 
on  this  subject  as  that  already  assumed  by  several 
states  of  this  Union." 

The  First  Permanent  Institute.  In  1857,  Rev. 
John  H.  Vincent,  then  pastor  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church  in  Joliet,  Illinois,  organized 
what  he  called  a  "  Normal  Class  "  in  his  church. 
This  was  very  successful.  At  the  Rock  River 
Annual  Conference  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  held  in  Chicago,  in  October,  i860,  the 
Conference  Sunday-School  Committee,  at  the  sug- 
gestion of  ]\Ir.  Vincent,  reported — "  The  import- 
ance of  Teachers'  Institutes  to  the  educational  in- 
terests of  our  country  cannot  have  escaped  your 
attention.  May  we  not  profitably  introduce  some- 
thing similar  among  us?  Such  an  institute,  con- 
ducted by  our  ablest  Sunday-school  educators, 
could  not  fail  to  elevate  our  standard,  and  im- 
prove our  system  of  religious  culture."  This  re- 
port was  unanimously  adopted  by  the  Conference. 
At  the  Galena  District  Convention,  held  the  fol- 
lowing year,  on  April  16  and  17,  in  Freeport, 
Illinois,  the  question  was  proposed  and  discussed, 
"  How  may  we  carry  out  the  suggestion  of  our 
Conference  Sunday-School  Committee,  relative  to 
the  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Institute  ?  "  A  con- 
stitution was  adopted,  the  fourth  article  of  which 
read,,  "  A  meeting  of  the  Institute  shall  be  held 
during  each  convention  of  the  District.  Each  Sub- 
District  shall  hold  an  Institute  at  such  time  as  the 
President,  resident  Vice-President,  and  resident 


■m 


The  Chautauqua  Movement  95 

Secretary  shall  determine."  On  Wednesday,  the 
second  day  of  the  Convention,  an  excellent  insti- 
tute program  was  carried  out  under  the  direction 
of  Mr.  Vincent,  who  was  made  president.  This 
was  probably  the  first  regularly  organized  and 
permanent  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Institute  in 
the  country. 

Other  Early  Institutes.  The  district  was  sub- 
divided, and  sub-district  institutes  were  held  that 
year  at  Council  Hill,  Mount  Carroll,  Warren  and 
Freeport.*  Practical  normal  drills  were  given, 
and  the  good  attendance  and  great  enthusiasm 
were  most  gratifying.  On  June  25  and  26,  1861, 
the  Detroit  District  held  the  first  of  the  semi-an- 
nual meetings  of  its  permanent  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Sunday-School  Institute.  The  session  was 
held  in  Detroit,  with  the  Rev.  M.  Hickey  as  presi- 
dent. The  following  year  three  more  districts 
organized  institutes.  On  November  17,  1864,  an 
elaborate  paper  was  read  by  Mr.  Vincent  before 
the  Cook  County  Sunday-School  Teachers'  Con- 
vention, in  Chicago,  urging  "  A  permanent  Sun- 
day-School Teachers'  Institute  for  the  North- 
west." The  Chicago  workers  took  the  suggestion, 
and  that  same  year  a  "  winter  course  "  of  institute 
lectures  and  other  exercises  was  carried  through. 
A  great  variety  of  maps,  pictures,  and  panoramic 
views  adorned  the  walls ;  three  or  four  tables  were 
filled  with  curiosities  from  the  Holy  Land ;  one 

*  Sunday-School    Institutes    and    Normal    Classes,   J. 
H.  Vincent,  1872,  p.  66. 


g6  Sunday-School  Movements 

evening  was  devoted  to  the  study  of  Jerusalem ; 
and  many  other  means  were  adopted  to  make  the 
sessions  interesting  and  profitable. 

Quite  independently  of  this  movement  in  the 
West,  a  similar  line  of  work  was  started  in  the 
East.  During  the  years  1863  and  1864,  some  east- 
ern convention  leaders  observed  °  that,  the  Sun- 
day-school conventions  which  were  once  interest- 
ing were  in  danger  of  losing  their  power.  They 
had  fallen  into  a  routine,  and  had  begun  to  be  mo- 
notonous to  the  regular  attendants,  because  they 
were  not  sufficiently  practical  and  profitable.  The 
question  was  therefore  forced  upon  the  leaders, 
"  What  must  be  done  ?  "  Deliberation  and  con- 
sultation brought  the  answer :  "  We  need  more 
mstniction."  In  the  State  Sunday-School  Con- 
vention at  Buffalo,  New  York,  in  1864,  the  Rev. 
W.  A.  Niles  suggested  to  Mr.  Pardee  the  idea  of  a 
Sunday-school  institute.  On  November  22,  of  the 
same  year,  a  program  was  issued,  and  on  De- 
cember 6,  Mr.  R.  G.  Pardee  and  Mr.  Ralph  Wells 
held  their  first  regular  Sunday-School  Institute. 
The  experiment  proved  successful,  and  from  that 
time  Mr.  Pardee  and  Mr.  Wells  devoted  their 
energies  to  this  kind  of  service.  Mr.  Vincent,  too, 
had  by  this  time  given  himself,  with  the  utmost 
enthusiasm,  to  aggressive  institute  work,  both  east 
and  west,  and  within  ten  years  after  the  first  Illi- 
nois Sunday-School  Teachers'  Institute  the  plan 

•  Sabbath -School  Index,  p.  92. 


The  Chautauqua  Movement  97 

had  been  widely  adopted  throughout  the  United 
States. 

Biblical  Museums.  In  1866,  at  the  request  of 
Dr.  Wise,  ]Mr.  \'incent  had  been  appointed  Gen- 
eral Agent  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Sunday- 
School  Union,  to  travel  throughout  the  country 
holding  institutes,  and  furthering  all  the  interests 
of  the  Society.  This  he  had  done  with  such  ac- 
tivity and  success,  that  in  1868  the  General  Con- 
ference created  a  Department  of  Sunday-School 
Instruction,  making  Dr.  Vincent  the  superintend- 
ent.*^ In  October,  1869,  at  what  has  been  called 
the  "  Anniversary  Institute "  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church, 
held  in  Columbus,  Ohio,  the  Normal  Department 
of  the  Union  opened  its  Biblical  Museum.  This 
large  and  valuable  collection  of  Oriental  antiqui- 
ties comprises  more  than  one  hundred  and  fifty  of 
the  photographs  of  the  Palestine  Exploration, 
two  hundred  highly  colored  diagrams,  illustra- 
tive of  Eastern  manners  and  customs,  antiqui- 
ties of  Egypt,  Nineveh,  Babylon,  and  Greece, 
and  the  beautiful  photographs  of  the  Ord- 
nance Survey  of  Jerusalem.  It  includes  models 
of  Eastern  objects  of  interest, — a  model  of  the 
Temple  of  Solomon,  a  model  of  the  Jewish  Taber- 
nacle, a  model  of  an  Eastern  khan,  or  inn,  and 

•  Growth  of  the  Sunday-School  Idea  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  Methodist  Quarterly  Review,  July, 
1871,  by  J.  M.  Freeman,  p.  410. 


98  Sunday-School  Movements 

one  of  the  city  of  Jerusalem  and  its  surrounding 
country.  It  includes  also  complete  Eastern  cos- 
tumes; and  valuable  relics,  as  lamps,  bottles,  and 
shells ;  and  many  other  objects  "  designed  to  teach 
and  unfold  Scripture  truth  by  way  of  suggestion 
and  of  visible  illustration." 

After  this,  other  biblical  museums  were  started. 
The  Methodist  Sunday-school  of  Akron  organ- 
ized one  which  was  geological,  historical  and 
archaeological.''  Mr.  A.  O.  Van  Lennep,  of  New 
York,  made  one  of  the  largest  collections  of  pic- 
tures, maps,  models,  Sunday-school  requisites, 
specimens,  and  Oriental  curiosities  in  the  United 
States,  and  used  them  to  illustrate  popular  lectures 
which  he  gave  before  conventions,  institutes,  nor- 
mal classes,  and  Sunday-schools.  This  collection 
is  now  in  the  possession  of  Rev.  Dr.  J.  S.  Ostran- 
der,  of  Brooklyn,  but  is  little  used.  A  Mrs.  L. 
Von  F.  Mountford,  a  native  of  Jerusalem,  also  has 
an  interesting  Oriental  collection,  of  which  she 
would  like  to  make  use.  But  whatever  the  ex- 
planation may  be,  there  seems  to  be  little  demand 
for  instruction  and  help  of  this  kind.  Makers  and 
publishers  of  Sunday-school  supplies  do  not  offer 
such  objects  for  sale,  nor  help  to  rouse  a  desire  for 
them.  The  average  Sunday-school  teacher  of  to- 
day could  not,  if  he  would,  secure  a  model  of 
Palestine  or  Jerusalem.     In  short,  this  particular 

'  The  Modern  Sunday- School,  John  H.  Vincent,  1887, 
pp.  135-  301. 


MiiiiHiiiniini 


The  Chautauqua  Movement  99 

movement,  desirable  as  it  seems,  is  not  progress- 
ing. 

Growth.  Sunday-school  Institutes,  however, 
have  spread  all  over  the  Christian  world.  Many 
men  are  employed  to  organize  and  conduct  them. 
It  has  become  part  of  the  International  Sunday- 
School  System  that  every  state  or  province  should 
have  a  state  or  provincial  institute,  and  that  where 
practicable,  the  counties  and  smaller  divisions 
should  also  have  institutes.  From  its  earliest 
years,  the  Normal  Department  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Sunday-School  Union,  under  the  direc- 
tion of  Dr.  Vincent  and  a  standing  normal  com- 
mittee, prepared  courses  of  study,  conducted  ex- 
aminations, and  issued  diplomas.®  This  normal 
work,  too,  has  spread,  until  to-day  some  states 
and  some  denominations  look  for  a  normal  class  in 
every  Sunday-school. 

The  First  Chautauqua  Assembly.  Under  a  char- 
ter granted  by  the  Legislature  of  the  State  of  New 
York,  in  1871,  a  body  of  Methodists  held  a  num- 
ber of  camp-meetings  at  Fair  Point,  Chautauqua. 
During  the  fourth  of  these  meetings,  held  in  Au- 
gust, 1873,  Dr.  Vincent  and  Mr.  Miller  visited 
the  place,  and  selected  it  for  an  "  Assembly  "  to 
be  held  the  following  year.  This  Chautauqua 
Sunday-School  Assembly  was  formally  instituted 
by  the  board  of  managers  of  the  Sunday-School 

•  The  Normal  Qass,  J.  L.  Hurlbut,  n.  d.,  p.  i. 


lOO         Sunday-School  Movements 

Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  at  their 
regular  meeting  in  October,  1873,  when  the  fol- 
lowing resolution  was  adopted :  ^  "  Resolved, 
That  we  approve  the  project  of  a  Sunday-school 
teachers'  assembly  in  August,  1874,  on  the  Chau- 
tauqua Lake  camp-ground,  and  that  we  refer  the 
whole  matter,  with  full  power  to  order  and  ar- 
range, to  the  committee  of  this  board  in  charge 
of  the  normal  department."  This  action  was  in 
response  to  a  request  from  the  executive  commit- 
tee of  the  Chautauqua  Lake  Camp-Ground  Asso- 
ciation. 

Immediately  after  the  adjournment  of  the  board 
a  meeting  of  the  norm.al  committee  was  held.  The 
design  of  the  assembly  was  decided  to  be  ®  sub- 
stantially as  follov.-s :  "  To  hold  a  prolonged  insti- 
tute, or  normal  class,  occupying  from  ten  to  fif- 
teen days,  for  the  completion  of  the  course  of 
normal  study  prescribed  by  the  department  (see 
Hand-book,  1872,  pp.  48-53)  ;  to  secure  the  pres- 
ence of  as  many  pastors,  superintendents,  and 
other  officers  and  teachers,  as  possible,  that  a  new 
and  general  interest  may  be  awakened  throughout 
the  Church  on  the  subject  of  normal  training  for 
Sunday-school  workers ;  to  command  as  far  as 
practicable  the  best  talent  in  the  country  to  assist 
in  the  conduct  of  this  assembly ;  to  utilize  the  gen- 
eral demand  for  summer  rest  by  uniting  daily 
study  with  healthful  recreation,  and  thus  render 

•The  Chautauqua  Movement,  J.  H.  Vincent,  1886,  pp. 
23-25. 


The  Chautauqua  Movement         lOi 

the  occasion  one  of  pleasure  and  instruction  com- 
bined. The  name,  "  The  Sunday-school  Teachers' 
Assembly  '  was  adopted.  Lewis  Miller,  Esq.,  of 
Akron,  Ohio,  was  elected  president.  Rev.  Dr.  J. 
H.  Vincent  superintendent  of  instruction,  Rev. 
Henry  M.  Simpson  secretary.  The  committee  is- 
sued an  announcement  urging  all  pastors  and  su- 
perintendents to  organize  normal  classes  at  once 
in  their  several  churches,  that  before  August  i, 
1874,  there  might  be  a  large  number  of  teachers 
ready  to  begin  with  the  second  or  junior  course  of 
normal  study.  The  committee  at  the  same  meet- 
ing passed  the  following  resolution :  '  Whereas 
this  course  of  study  is  in  substantial  agreement 
with  that  adopted  by  the  normal  departments  of 
the  Baptist.  Presbyterian,  and  American  Sunday- 
school  Union  boards,  and  as  the  leading  workers 
in  these  and  other  branches  of  the  Christian 
Church  will  be  at  the  assembly  to  assist  by  their 
experience  and  counsels,  and  as  it  is  our  purpose 
to  make  the  occasion  one  of  the  largest  catholicity, 
the  committee  cordially  invite  workers  of  all  de- 
nominations to  attend,  and  to  participate  in  the 
services  of  the  assembly.'  "  The  assembly  was 
widely  advertised,  and  for  a  whole  year  efficient 
committees  worked  hard. 

On  Tuesday  evening,  August  4,  1874,  the  first 
Chautauqua  Assembly  opened.  It  was  not  a 
"  camp-meeting  "  in  any  sense,  except  that  it  was 
held  in  the  woods,  and  most  of  the  members  lived 
in  tents.     No  "  evangelistic  "  services  were  held. 


pabtui^'ia 


I02  Sunday-School  Movements 

It  was  a  Sunday-school  institute  protracted  to  the 
length  of  two  weeks.  The  work  may  be  sum- 
marized as  follows :  ^^  "  Twenty-two  lectures  on 
the  Sunday-school  work, — theory  and  practice. 
Seven  lectures  on  Bible  history,  geography,  evi- 
dences, etc.  Sectional  Meetings:  nine  primary; 
six  intermediate;  one  senior;  one  superintend- 
ents'; four  pastors'  and  superintendents'.  Eight 
normal-class  and  institute-conductors'  conver- 
sazioni. Normal  sections  A,  B,  C,  and  D,  six 
each.  Three  teachers'  meetings  for  the  prepara- 
tion of  the  lesson;  two  specimen  Sunday-school 
sessions;  four  Bible-readings;  three  praise  serv- 
ices ;  two  children's  meetings ;  and  six  sermons. 

"  All  the  leading  Protestant  denominations  were 
represented.  Persons  were  present  from  twenty- 
five  States;  also  from  Ontario,  Montreal,  Nova 
Scotia,  Ireland,  Scotland,  and  India."  The 
"  Vesper  Service  "  was  considered  one  of  the  most 
beautiful  and  impressive  features  of  the  occasion. 
Besides  the  more  serious  aspect,  there  were  recrea- 
tive features  such  as  concerts,  fireworks,  and  hu- 
morous lectures.  The  crowning  work  of  the  De- 
partment of  Recreation  was  a  Park  of  Palestine, 
about  seventy-five  by  one  hundred  and  twenty 
feet,  presenting  accurately  the  outline  of  the  coun- 
try, the  principal  hills  and  valleys,  the  water- 
courses, and  the  cities. 

Expansion  and  Character  of  the  Chautauqua 
Movement.     Since  this  first  session  of  the  Chau- 

"The  Chautauqua  Movement,  p.  262. 


The  Chautauqna  Movement         103 

tauqiia  Assembly,  similar  meetings  have  been  held 
at  Chautauqua  every  summer.  While  of  Method- 
ist origin,  they  have  from  the  first  been  of  a  broad 
and  catholic  nature.  Nearly  all  the  leading  de- 
nominations are  represented  on  the  faculty.  All 
churches  have  opportunity  to  meet  in  their  several 
centres  for  prayer  and  conference,  and  on  one  day 
every  season,  a  denominational  congress  is  held. 
The  utmost  good  feeling  has  always  prevailed. 

Breadth  of  view  is  also  characteristic  of  Chau- 
tauqua in  educational  matters.  Mr.  Miller  and 
Dr.  Vincent  both  believe  in  "  work-day  power." 
They  hold  that  "  life  is  one.  and  that  religion  be- 
longs everywhere.  Our  people,  young  and  old, 
should  consider  educational  advantages  as  so 
many  religious  opportunities.  Every  day  should 
be  sacred.  .  .  Kitchen  work,  farm  work,  shop 
work,  as  well  as  school  work,  are  divine. 
The  proper  study  of  the  Divine  Word  leads  to  and 
requires  the  more  careful  study  of  the  Divine 
works.  The  Author  of  the  Book  is  the  Creator 
of  the  universe,  and  the  Ruler  of  the  race."  Ac- 
cordingly, while  the  exercises  of  the  first  season 
were  devoted  to  the  Sunday-school,  since  then  a 
great  variety  of  secular  studies  have  been  gradu- 
ally introduced.  Practical  causes  have  helped  to 
bring  this  about.  The  theory  of  Sunday-school 
work  was  still  simple,  or  little  understood,  so  that 
the  workers  were  not  content  with  the  discussion 
of  the  same  old  questions  year  after  year.  Again, 
it  was  thought  possible  to  insist  upon  too  many 


I04         Sunday-School  Movements 

hours  of  Bible  study  each  day.  Many  people  came 
who  were  not  interested  in  Sunday-school  discus- 
sion or  in  biblical  studies.  These  needed  the  As- 
sembly because  they  needed  the  awakening  which 
comes  from  great  ideas,  and  the  Assembly  needed 
them  because  of  the  financial  support  which  they 
gave  to  the  organization. 

Not  only  have  the  subsequent  programs  of  the 
Assembly  differed  from  the  first,  but  entire  new 
departments  and  "  schools  "  have  been  added.  In 
1879,  the  Chautauqua  Teachers'  Retreat,  for  secu- 
lar teachers,  and  the  School  of  Languages  were 
organized.  Since  then  schools  of  Literature, 
Science,  Psychology  and  Pedagogy,  Music,  Prac- 
tical Arts,  and  even  Physical  Training,  have  been 
added.  Moreover,  a  College  of  Liberal  Arts,  and 
a  School  of  Theology  have  been  formed.  Char- 
tered by  the  State  of  New  York,  Chautauqua  has 
the  right  ^^  to  foster  learning  of  a  grade  equal  to 
that  of  the  full-orbed  university,  and  to  confer  all 
university  degrees. 

Nor  does  the  work  of  Chautauqua  end  with  the 
camp  limits.  Chautauqua  pleads  for  a  universal 
education,  and  seeks  to  give  to  people  out  of  school 
opportunities  for  intellectual  progress.  One  of 
its  chief  and  characteristic  features  is  the  Chau- 
tauqua Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  organized 
at  the  Chautauqua  Summer  Assembly  in  1878. 
Its  purpose  is  "  to  provide  a  systematic  course  of 
reading  in  history,  literature,  science  and  art,  thus 

"  The  Chautauqua  Movement,  pp.  36,  182. 


The  Chautauqua  Movement         lO^ 

securing  to  those  who  have  been  denied  college 
opportunities,  something  of  the  college  student's 
general  outlook  upon  the  world  and  life,  and  to 
give  college  graduates  an  opportunity  to  review 
the  studies  of  earlier  years."  The  course  is  for 
four  years,  and  may  be  pursued  by  individual 
readers  at  home,  or  by  local  circles.  At  the  end 
of  the  four  years'  course  the  reader  is  entitled  to 
a  certificate,  upon  which  seals  are  put  for  v.-ritten 
review  work  and  for  extra  reading.  Religion  does 
not  enter  into  this  work,  except  in  the  two  mottoes 
*•  We  study  the  Word  and  the  Works  of  God  " 
and  "  Let  us  keep  our  Heavenly  Father  in  the 
Midst."  Since  its  organization  the  Chautauqua 
Literary  and  Scientific  Circle  has  enrolled  ^-  more 
than  250,000  members,  of  whom  nearly  50,000 
have  graduated  from  the  four  years'  course.  The 
Chautauqua  College  of  Liberal  Arts  is  on  much 
the  same  plan  as  the  reading  circle,  only  that 
study  is  required  instead  of  reading,  theses  must 
be  submitted,  and  on  every  part  of  the  college  cur- 
riculum the  students  must  pass  written  examina- 
tions in  the  presence  of  eye-witnesses. 

As  might  be  expected,  the  movement  at  Chau- 
tauqua soon  brought  into  existence  similar  assem- 
blies, other  "  Chautauquas."  With  all  its  depart- 
ments, Chautauqua,  at  Chautauqua  Lake,  as  Presi- 
dent Harper  of  the  L'niversity  of  Chicago  said,*' 

"The  Chautauqua  Reading  Circle  (leaflet).  iSgg.  p.  2. 
"  American  Giurcb  Histor}',  vc!.  V,  by  J.  M.  Buckley, 
p.  672. 


io6         Sunday-School  Movements 

"  is  something  small  and  insignificant  when  com- 
pared with  the  world-wide  Chautauqua.  When 
we  recall  the  scores  of  Chautauqua  assemblies 
throughout  the  United  States,  the  Oxford  summer 
meeting  established  on  the  basis  of  the  Chautau- 
qua idea,  the  hundreds  of  thousands  of  readers 
who  have  been  connected  with  the  Chautauqua 
Literary  and  Scientific  Circle,  the  tens  of  thou- 
sands of  homes  into  which  a  new  light  has  pene- 
trated as  a  result  of  the  Chautauqua  idea,  the  hun- 
dreds of  thousands  of  books  which  have  been 
bought  and  read  by  those  who  were  eager  for  a 
learning  which  had  been  denied  them,  we  obtain 
a  faint  conception  of  the  meaning  and  significance 
of  the  term  '  Chautauqua.'  " 

Development  of  Sunday-School  Normal  Work. 

Interesting  as  the  entire  movement  is,  it  only  con- 
cerns us  as  a  setting  for  the  Sunday-School  Nor- 
mal Department,  and  the  more  recent  Chautauqua 
Normal  Union.  These  include  not  only  the  stimu- 
lating exercises  of  the  summer  sessions  at  Chau- 
tauqua proper,  but  the  work  of  other  "  Chautau- 
qua "  assemblies,  and  the  local  and  home  work 
of  the  members  of  the  Union.  It  should  be  re- 
membered that  the  first  Chautauqua  Assembly,  in 
1874,  was  held  under  the  auspices  of  the  Nonnal 
Department  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church.  For  several  years 
the  normal  diplomas  of  Chautauqua  were  awarded 


The  Chautauqua  Movement         107 

in  the  name  of  that  Union, ^*  and  a  close  connec- 
tion has  always  been  maintained  between  the  two 
organizations.  The  nonnal  courses  for  both 
Unions  are  identical. 

At  the  Chautauqua  Assembly  in  1876,  a  com- 
mittee on  a  '■  Course  of  Normal  Class  Lessons  " 
was  appointed.  The  members  represented  ten  dif- 
ferent denominations  of  Christians.  They  made 
a  report,  which  was  unanimously  adopted  at  a 
meeting  of  persons  of  all  denominations  interested 
in  Sunday-school  normal  work.  The  report  in- 
cluded the  following : — "  That  the  course  com- 
prise forty  lessons,  to  be  called  the  '  Chautauqua 
Course  of  Sabbath-school  Normal  Lessons ; '  the 
time  of  each  lesson  to  be  divided  between  the  con- 
sideration of  the  '  Bible  and  its  contents,'  and  the 
'  theory  and  practice  of  teaching.' 

"  The  Chautauqua  Course  of  Sabbath-school 
Normal  Lessons  may  be  adopted  and  used  by  any 
church,  society,  union,  association,  or  institution 
of  learning.     .     .     . 

"  Normal  classes  who  desire  to  issue  diplomas 
may  obtain  them  from  the  Chautauqua  Commit- 
tee, with  the  heading  '  Chautauqua  Sabbath- 
school  Nonnal  Class  Diploma,'  and  upon  which 
may  be  placed  the  stamp  or  name  of  the  church, 
society,  union,  association,  or  institution  of  learn- 
ing, with  which  the  class  is  connected ;  these  diplo- 

"The  Normal  Class  (a  leaflet),  by  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut, 
D.  D.,  n.   d.,  p.    I. 


io8         Sunday-School  Movements 

mas  to  be  signed  by  the  local  committee  of  in- 
struction." 

This  system  required  ''  Normal  Praxes,"  or  in 
other  words,  written  exercises  on  the  different  pro- 
cesses of  the  teacher's  work,  as,  thinking,  memo- 
rizing, finding  central  and  root  thoughts,  word- 
picturing,  analogies,  collecting  illustrations,  lines 
of  approach  and  map-drawing.  The  books  to  be 
read  were :  Fitch  on  Questioning;  Freeman  on 
Illustration;  Trumbull  on  Reviews;  Fitch  on  At- 
tention;  Vincent's  Helpful  Hints;  Chautauqua 
Text-Books,  No.  i,  Hoiv  to  Study  the  Bible;  No. 
8,  What  Noted  Men  Think  of  the  Bible;  No.  lo, 
What  is  Education?  No.  ii,  Socrates;  No.  12, 
Pestalo::zi;  No.  15;,  Froebel;  No.  18,  Christian 
Evidences;  No.  19,  The  Book  of  Books.  Adapta- 
tions of  these  lessons  were  made  for  pupils  of  all 
grades. 

There  were  also  "  Teachers'  Union  "  and  "  post- 
graduate "  courses  provided.  The  post-graduate 
course,  as  announced  in  the  Hand-book  for  1880, 
required  the  following  books  to  be  studied :  Out- 
lines of  Church  History,  Dr.  Hurst;  Short  His- 
tory of  English  Bible,  Dr.  Freeman ;  Companion 
to  the  Bible,  Dr.  Barrow ;  The  Church  School,  Dr. 
Vincent ;  Christological  Studies,  Dr.  Buck.  Each 
candidate  for  a  certificate  w^as  expected  to  present 
two  papers  containing  not  less  than  one  thousand 
words  each,  one  on  a  biblical,  the  other  on  a  Sun- 
day-school theme.    Candidates  were  also  required 


miiiiiiiiiuuiiii 


The  Chautauqua  Movement        109 

to  answer  in  writing  a  series  of  fifty  questions, 
based  upon  the  above  books. 

The  Assembly  Normal  Union.  In  1880,  at  the 
Sunday-School  Centennial,  in  London,  at  Dr.  Vin- 
cent's suggestion,  a  committee  was  appointed  to 
prepare  an  international  course  of  study. ^^  This 
International  Sunday-School  Normal  Committee, 
as  it  was  called,  was  composed  of  workers  in  Eng- 
land, America  and  France.  The  lessons  were  at 
first  used  by  comparatively  few.^*^  When  the  first 
series  of  books  was  issued  by  the  committee,  an 
association  of  assembly  conductors  and  teachers 
of  normal  classes  was  formed  in  America,  for  the 
purpose  of  bringing  the  normal  Sunday-school 
work  throughout  the  country  to  a  common  stand- 
ard. This  was  in  1884.  The  association  was 
called  the  Assembly  Normal  Union.  Outline  les- 
sons were  prepared  and  a  course  of  reading  ar- 
ranged in  connection  with  them,  including  the 
books  of  the  International  Normal  Committee. 

The  Chautauqua  Normal  Union.  In  the  sum- 
mer of  1886,  a  reorganization  was  efifected,  by 
which  the  Assembly  Normal  Union  became  a  de- 
partment of  the  Chautauqua  University,  under  the 
name  of  the  Chautauqua  Normal  Union.  Its 
Board   of   Counsel  holds  an   annual  meeting  at 

"The   Chautauqua   Normal  Union    (a  leaflet),  J.  L. 
Hurlbut,  1897  (?),  pp.  4.  5- 
""The  Study,"  No.  for  Jan.,  1885,  p.  2. 


no         Sunday-School  Movements 

Chautauqua.  The  course,  according  to  the  cur- 
rent circular,  includes  studies  in  the  Bible  and  in 
Sunday-school  work,  to  be  carried  on  through 
four  years.  Each  year's  work,  however,  is  sepa- 
rate, and  is  recognized  by  a  separate  certificate 
of  postal-card  size,  awarded  to  all  who  complete 
it  and  pass  the  requisite  examination.  When  four 
such  certificates  have  been  obtained  upon  dif- 
ferent annual  courses,  they  entitle  the  person  whose 
name  they  bear,  to  the  full  diploma  of  the  Chau- 
tauqua Normal  Union,  upon  payment  of  the  di- 
ploma fee  of  twenty-five  cents.  The  courses  for 
the  last  four  years  were  as  follows,  the  first  book 
of  each  course  to  be  studied,  the  second  to  be  read: 
Course  of  1897, — Studies  in  the  Book  of  Acts,  B. 

B.  Loomis ;  The  Life  of  St.  Paul,  James  Stalker. 
Course  of  1898, — Studies  in  the  Four  Gospels, 
J.  L.  Hurlbut ;  The  Book  Divine,  J.  E.  Price. 
Course  of  1899, — Studies  in  Old  Testament  His- 
tory, J.  L.  Hurlbut ;  Teaching  and  Teachers,  H. 

C.  Trumbull.  Course  of  1900, — Revised  Normal 
Lessons,  J.  L.  Hurlbut;  The  Modern  Sunday- 
School,  J.  H.  Vincent.  The  courses  may  be  taken 
up  in  any  order  which  the  student  chooses. 

There  is  also  a  Junior  Department  of  the  Chau- 
tauqua Normal  Union,  for  children  and  young 
people.  The  courses  of  this  department  are  strictly 
biblical  and  not  normal.  They  are  divided  into 
two  grades, — the  Junior,  or  Children's  grade,  in 
general  for  those  under  twelve  years  of  age,  and 
the  Intermediate,  or  Young  People's  grade,  for 


The  Chaurauqua  Movement         iii 

those  between  twelve  and  eighteen  years  of  age. 
Diplomas  are  given  to  those  who  attain  seventy 
per  cent,  in  the  examinations  of  a  first  course,  and 
seals  are  given  for  equal  results  in  subsequent 
courses.  The  juniors  and  intermediates  have  dif- 
ferent diplomas,  though  in  some  cases  they  may 
take  the  same  courses.^'' 

The  influence  of  this  Chautauqua  Normal 
Union  is  by  no  means  limited  to  the  hundreds  who 
Work  for  Chautauqua  honors.  Many  individuals, 
and  even  organizations  throughout  the  country, 
use  the  books  recommended  by  it.  Yet  with  all 
this  effort  it  must  be  acknowledged  that  the  great 
majority  of  Sunday-school  teachers  are  still  prac- 
tically untouched  by  the  Chautauqua  movement. 

Sunday-School  Normal  Work  in  other  Institu- 
tions of  Learning.  Some  effort  has  been  made  to 
introduce  preparation  for  Sunday-school  work 
into  other  organizations.  As  early  as  1872.  Dr. 
Vincent  says  ^*  that  in  the  Northwestern  Female 
College,  Evanston,  111. ;  the  Cincinnati  Wesleyan 
Female  College ;  the  Baldwin  University,  in  Ohio  ; 
Cornell  College,  Iowa;  Dickinson  College,  Penn., 
and  in  other  institutions  of  learning,  regular  Sun- 
day-school normal  classes  had  been  started. 
Nevertheless,  the  work  has  not  spread  widely 
among  secular  institutions.     On  the  other  hand, 

"  Junior  Department  of  the  Chautauqua  Normal  Un- 
ion (leaflet).  Jesse  L.  Hurlbut  (?),  n.  d. 

"  Sunday-School  Institutes  and  Normal  Classes,  J.  H. 
Vincent,  1872,  p.  135. 


112  Sunday-School  Movements 

many  training  schools  for  Christian  workers  are 
giving  considerable  attention  to  Sunday-school 
teaching.  The  New  York  Training  School  for 
Deaconesses,  in  connection  with  the  Episcopal 
Church,  gives  not  only  excellent  Bible  work, 
but  careful  and  thoroughly  pedagogical  personal 
training  in  the  Art  of  Teaching.  The  Moody  In- 
stitute in  Chicago,  and  the  Bible  Normal  College 
in  Springfield,  Mass.,  give  so  much  attention  to 
Sunday-school  work  that  they  are  sometimes 
called  training  schools  for  Sunday-school  workers. 
Apart  from  this  movement,  yet  of  the  greatest 
possible  service  to  it  as  well  as  to  the  Qiristian 
world  in  general,  is  the  present  movement,  intro- 
ducing into  our  colleges  and  academies  courses  of 
Bible  study,  conducted  by  specialists,  and  com- 
manding the  same  earnest  application  and  high 
respect  that  is  given  to  the  most  modern  subjects. 


■UIIIIIIIIHUIIIHKinilll 


CHAPTER  VI 

THE   CHURCH    AND    SUNDAY-SCHOOL   WORK 

Although  it  became  necessary  to  form  great 
unions  and  associations  which  undertake  much  of 
the  Sunday-school  work  in  America,  and  solve 
many  of  the  perplexing  problems  that  develop,  the 
Church  has  not  forgotten  its  duty  toward  the 
young.  These  organizations  have  been  the  serv- 
ants, not  the  supplanters  of  the  Church  in  this 
matter.  For  the  sake  of  convenience  and  to  keep 
near  the  sources  of  information,  it  seems  well  to 
discuss  the  work  of  the  Church  under  denomina- 
tional sub-heads,  but  our  object  is  not  a  compari- 
son of  the  denominations.  Indeed  especial  care 
must  be  taken  with  regard  to  making  such  com- 
parisons in  this  connection,  for  whole  branches  of 
Church  work  which  affect  the  Sunday-school  must 
be  left  undescribed.  In  the  case  of  the  Mora- 
vians, for  instance,  there  seem  to  be  no  distin- 
guishing features  of  Sunday-school  work  import- 
ant enough  for  us  to  note,  and  yet  during  the 
seventeenth  and  eighteenth  centuries  there  was 
probably  no  body  of  Christians  that  gave  as  much 
attention  to  Bible  schools  and  early  Church  train- 
ing as  they.  If  the  question  of  religious  teaching 
in  the  home  and  in  the  week-day  school  was  to 
113 


114         Sunday-School  Movements 

be  included,  certainly  the  denomination  which 
Comenius  loved  and  labored  for  could  not  be  so 
lightly  passed  by. 

It  must  be  understood,  then,  that  our  point  of 
view  is  both  national  and  limited.  Statistics  are 
not  of  much  value  here,  and  there  will  be  no  at- 
tempt even  to  mention  all  of  the  one  hundred  and 
forty-five  denominations,  with  their  subdivisions, 
of  which  the  United  States  census  gives  a  list. 

Looking  back  to  colonial  days,  we  found  that 
the  Puritans  of  New  England  had  their  ministers, 
once  a  week  in  some  towns  and  once  a  month  in 
others,  gather  the  children  and  youth  of  the  par- 
ishes at  two  o'clock  on  Saturday  afternoons  to 
catechise  them.  This  system  was  a  very  thorough 
one,  involving  careful  home  instruction.  It  con- 
tinued in  New  England  for  more  than  a  hundred 
years.  Also  some  denominations,  among  which 
the  Roman  Catholic  Church  leads,  hold  that  re- 
ligious instruction  is  an  essential  part  of  all  educa- 
tion, and  accordingly,  before  the  rise  of  our  great 
public  school  system,  they  had  little  need  for  the 
Sunday-school.  The  Episcopal  denomination, 
however,  is  said  to  have  always  in  this  country 
followed  the  practice  of  giving  religious  instruc- 
tion to  the  children,  on  the  Sabbath,  openly,  in 
the  church.^ 

Baptist.  The  Congregational  churches,  both 
Trinitarian  and  Unitarian,  together  vyith  the  great 

*  Historic  View  of  Sabbath-Schools,  Congregational 
Quarterly,  vol.  VII,  p.  20,  E.  H.  Byington, 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    1 1  5 

denomination  of  Baptists,  represent  intense  inde- 
pendency. The  churches  of  these  denominations 
are  not  bound  together  by  the  recognized  author- 
ity of  ecclesiastical  bodies.  They  may  form 
groups  by  habit  of  association,  and  they  may  in  a 
general  way  hold  to  more  or  less  distinguishing 
doctrines,  yet  they  lack  that  denominational  unity 
and  exclusiveness  which  would  lead  them  as  de- 
nominations to  make  conspicuous  advances  in  Sun- 
day-school work.  Owing  to  this  lack  of  strong 
central  organization,  there  is  among  the  Baptists 
an  increase  of  local  efforts.  The  size  of  the  de- 
nomination makes  some  of  these  local  bodies  equal 
if  not  superior,  to  the  numerical  strength  of  some 
other  entire  denominations.  The  Massachusetts 
Baptist  Sunday-School  Association,-  organized  in 
1885.  and  incorporated  in  1892,  for  example,  is 
no  small,  inactive  affair.  Moreover,  like  the 
Methodists,  the  Baptists  have  been  prominent  in 
undenominational  lines,  especially  in  the  great 
"  International  Lesson  ^lovement." 

Although  the  Baptists  have  no  national  Sunday- 
school  union  or  association,  they  have  two  bodies 
which  attend  to  Sunday-school  interests.  In  Feb- 
ruary, 1824,^  Noah  Davis,  a  zealous  young  min- 
ister, addressed  a  communication  to  J.  D.  Knowles, 
then  editor  of  "  The  Columbia  Star,"  which  led 

" "  Massachusetts  Baptist  Anniversaries,"  annual  re- 
ports. 

•American  Church  History,  vol.  II  (Baptists) ,  by  A. 
H.  Newman,  1894,  p.  426. 


J 


Ii6  Sunday-School  Movements 

to  the  calhng  of  a  meeting  and  the  organization 
of  the  Baptist  General  Tract  Society,  with  its 
headquarters  at  Washington.  This  became  one 
of  the  most  important  and  successful  of  the  de- 
nominational enterprises.  The  receipts,  which 
were  for  the  first  year,  $373.80,  amounted  to 
$20,803.78,  for  the  year  ending  in  April,  1845. 
As  early  as  1826,  owing  to  great  inconveniences 
and  loss  from  being  at  a  distance  from  a  publish- 
ing and  distributing  center,  the  Society  removed 
its  headquarters  to  Philadelphia.  In  1840  a  re- 
vised constitution  was  adopted,  and  the  name  of 
the  Society  changed  to  the  American  Baptist  Pub- 
lication Society.  Sunday-school  work  is  distinctly 
recognized  in  the  new  constitution,  and  has,  since 
1840,  been  pushed  with  great  vigor.  The  Society 
is  said  to  have  been  the  first  in  America  to  engage 
in  colportage.  Its  missionary  department  has  sent 
colporteurs  the  length  and  breadth  of  the  land  dis- 
tributing literature,  preaching  in  destitute  places, 
and  establishing  Sunday-schools.  Its  publication 
department  issues  a  number  of  Sunday-school  pe- 
riodicals. The  International  lessons  are  used  al- 
most exclusively,  though  the  Society  publishes  a 
primary  course  entitled  *  "  Two  Years  With 
Jesus." 

In  1 89 1  the  Convention  appointed  a  Sunday- 
school  Board,  whose  chief  function  is  to  supply 
periodicals,  song-books,  Bibles,  Testaments,  cards, 

*  "  Two  Years  With  Jesiis,"  by  Miss  Juliet  E.  Dimock, 
teachers'  edition  and  scholars'  edition. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    1 17 

maps,  and  other  requisites  for  Sunday-schools. 
The  Board  has  its  headquarters  at  Nashville. 

Before  leaving  the  Baptists,  it  will  be  interest- 
ing to  note  a  change  which,  though  hardly  a  de- 
nominational movement,  was  instigated  by  a 
Baptist.  Henry  J.  Rowland  "  is  entitled  to  the 
distinction  of  having  originated  the  first  Infant 
Sunday-school,  so  far  as  is  known, ^  in  this  coun- 
try or  any  other."  In  1829,  when  only  an  appren- 
tice boy  nineteen  years  of  age,  at  the  suggestion 
of  his  sister,  he  obtained  leave  of  absence  to  in- 
vestigate a  certain  school  for  the  care  of  young 
children  whose  parents  were  obliged  to  be  away 
from  home  at  their  work.  He  saw  and  heard 
enough  to  satisfy  himself  that  the  religious  part 
of  the  exercises  there  could  be  usefully  adapted 
for  a  number  of  small  children  who  frequented 
the  Sunday-school  of  the  First  Baptist  Church  of 
Boston,  but  who  had  no  place  in  any  of  the  classes. 
He  explained  the  work  at  a  meeting  of  the  Sun- 
day-school teachers,  proposing  that  an  infant  class 
be  formed,  and  suggesting  that  one  of  the  lady 
teachers  should  take  charge.  This  resulted  in  the 
formation  of  such  a  class  with  young  Mr.  How- 
land  as  teacher.  Besides  the  teaching  and  singing 
of  hymns,  he  prepared  Bible  pictures  to  interest 
the  children,  and  worked  out  the  lessons  on  the 
catechetical  plan,  using  the  Bible  for  his  answers, 
and  instilling  into  the  minds  of  the  children  the 

'"The  Watchman,"  May  6,  1897  (vol.  78,  No.  18),  p. 
20. 


ii8         Sunday-School  Movements 

Scripture  language.  He  published  the  first  book 
of  lessons  for  the  primary  department.  His  heart 
was  in  the  work  and  his  school  was  a  great  suc- 
cess. Till  the  year  of  his  death,  1897,  he  was  an 
active  and  prominent  Sunday-school  worker. 

Congregational.  The  Congregational  (Trini- 
tarian) Church,  like  the  Unitarian,  has  a  distinct 
Sunday-school  organization  of  considerable  na- 
tional importance.  This  Congregational  Sunday- 
School  and  Publishing  Society,  is  the  result  of  the 
combination  of  two  independent  movements.  In 
j\Iay,  1825,  the  Massachusetts  Sabbath-School 
Union  was  organized,  and  was  auxiliary  to  the 
American  Sunday-School  Union,  formed  the  pre- 
ceding year.  In  1826,  forty  of  the  fifty-five  Sun- 
day-schools thus  associated  were  Congregational, 
the  rest  Baptist.  In  1832,  it  was  thought  best  for 
the  two  denominations  to  divide,  one-third  of  the 
assets  going  to  the  Baptists,  and  two-thirds  to  the 
Congregationalists.^  The  Massachusetts  Sab- 
bath-School Society  had  its  origin  in  this  way 
and  remained  auxiliary  to  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union  till  1839.  ^^  was  incorporated  in 
1840. 

During  its  first  seven  years  it  published  352 
books,  of  which  203  were  for  libraries,  17  were 
question  books,  and  3  were  singing-books.  The 
Wellspring  was  first  issued  in  1844.    I"  1853,  one 

'  A  Brief  Historic  Sketch  of  the  Congregational  Sun- 
day-School and  Publishing  Society,  n.  n.,  1894. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    119 

of  its  books  was  called  by  the  now  popular  name, 
"  The  Inductive  Question  Book."  By  1868  it  had 
issued  750  publications,  of  which  700  were  for 
Sunday-school  libraries.  The  Society  also  car- 
ried on  missionary-  work,  aiding  both  Presbyterian 
and  Congregational  Sunday-schools  until  the  plan 
of  union  was  given  up.  Xo  special  missionary 
agents  were  employed  until  1853,  when  the  West- 
ern Sabbath-School  Agency  was  formed.  Within 
six  years  eleven  different  missionaries  were  em- 
ployed in  Xew  York,  Ohio.  Indiana,  Illinois, 
Michigan,  Wisconsin  and  Iowa.  During  the  Civil 
War  this  work  was  broken  up  and  the  Society 
addressed  its  publications  and  its  distributing 
work  largely  to  the  boys  in  camp  and  hospital,  and 
to  the  "  contrabands  "  and  freedmen. 

■Meanwhile,  the  Congregational  Board  of  Pub- 
lication, the  second  movement  referred  to  above, 
had  developed.  On  jMarch  9,  1868,  the  Massachu- 
setts Sabbath-School  Society,  and  the  Congrega- 
tional Board  of  Publication,  at  the  request  of  both 
organizations,  were  consolidated  by  act  of  Legis- 
lature into  The  Congregational  Sabbath-School 
and  Publishing  Society.  The  object  of  the  new 
Society  was  to  "  explain.  .  .  .  and  support  the 
Congregational  faith  and  polity,"  and  to  promote 
Sabbath-school  organization  and  education.  In 
1870  the  name  was  changed  for  convenience  to 
The  Congregational  Publishing  Society.  Its  busi- 
ness meanwhile  rapidly  increased.  At  this  time 
a  society  called  The  Society  for  the  Promotion  of 


lao         Sunday-School  Movements 

Christian  Knowledge  disbanded  and  gave  it 
$5,000,  the  annual  income  to  be  used  in  the  dis- 
tribution of  books. 

In  accordance  with  the  advice  of  the  National 
Council,  in  1874,  on  April  i,  1876,  the  missionary 
work  was  transferred  to  the  .•\merican  Home  ^lis- 
sionary  Society.  This  change  was  against  the 
judgment  of  the  officers  of  both  societies.  In- 
terest in  the  Sunday-school  work  decreased ;  and 
the  amount  contributed  for  it  diminished  from 
$12,224,  in  1873,  the  year  before  the  change  was 
proposed,  to  $1,464,  in  1879.  In  May,  1882,  this 
work  was  restored  to  the  Publishing  Society  and 
the  next  year  the  name  of  the  Society  was  changed 
to  "  The  Congregational  Sunday-School  and  Pub- 
lishing Society,"  that  it  might  correspond  with 
the  work  which  was  again  assumed. 

The  organization  has  steadily  grown  till  of  re- 
cent years  it  has  kept  about  thirty-five  Sunday- 
school  missionaries  in  the  field,  starting  hundreds 
of  new  schools  annually  and  holding  hundreds  of 
local  institutes  and  conventions.  Under  the  name 
of  the  "  Pilgrim  Press  "  it  issues  literature  that 
spreads  far  beyond  the  denominational  lines.  It 
presents  two  systems  of  lessons,  the  International 
and  an  inductive  series  on  the  Life  of  Christ  and 
the  History  of  Israel,  so  that  schools  or  classes 
can  take  their  choice. 

There  is  also  an  energetic  Congregational  Sun- 
day-School Superintendents'  Union  of  Boston  and 
Vicinity,  with  a  membership  of  between  one  and 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    121 

two  hundred.    This  was  organized  in  November, 
1879,  pursuant  to  a  call  which  originated  with  sev- 
eral of  the  Congregational  Delegates  to  a  Sunday- 
school  convention  at  Worcester  a  few  days  before. 
The  Union  meets  once  a  month  to  discuss  practi- 
cal subjects  such  as  "  How  to  Reach  and  Hold 
Young  Men  in  our  Sunday-schools,"  the  "  Object 
and  Work  of  the  Training  School  for  Christian 
Workers,  in  Springfield,  "  and  "  What  may  the 
Sabbath-school  learn  from  the  Public  School  ?  " 
Sunday-school    institutes  and    conventions    have 
been  held  at  its  suggestion,  and  its  influence  has 
been    felt    by    every  ^    Congregational    Sunday- 
school  in  Boston  and  vicinity. 

Episcopal.  The  Episcopal  Church,  as  has  been 
said  above,  has  always  given  attention  to  the  re- 
ligious instruction  of  children  on  Sunday.  It  has 
not  succeeded,  however,  in  maintaining  a  national 
Sunday-school  union.  One  was  organized  in  New 
York  early  m  the  centur>'.  but  it  never  secured  a 
strong  support  from  the  church  in  whose  interests 
it  was  founded  and  whose  name  it  bore.  It  acted 
for  a  time  as  a  publication  society  and  after  some 
years  of  rather  languid  existence,  its  interests 
were  sold  to  a  private  bookseller.* 

On  the  other  hand,  the  denomination  has  active 
local    Sunday-school   associations,   of   which   the 

^  Congregational  Sunday-School  Superintendents'  Un- 
ion, n.  n.,  1896,  p.  7. 

'  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature,  article  Sunday- 
Schools,  by  D.  P.  K.,  vol.  X,  p.  25. 


122         Sunday-School  Movements 

most  influential  is  that  of  the  Diocese  of  Pennsyl- 
vania, organized  February  15,  1870.  ^  The  first 
meeting  of  this  Association  was  called  by  a  circu- 
lar issued  to  the  Sunday-schools  of  Philadelphia 
by  a  committee  of  the  Teachers  Association  of  the 
Church  of  the  Holy  Apostles.  For  several  years 
after  its  organization  the  Association  held  monthly 
meetings  in  the  various  city  parishes.  At  these 
meetings  a  special  topic  was  always  presented  by 
a  leading  clergyman  or  layman,  and  then  briefly 
discussed  by  others.  In  a  year  or  two  this  method 
was  changed  and  a  course  of  special  monthly  lec- 
tures was  delivered  by  leading  bishops  and  clergy- 
men. This  course  lasted  about  two  years.  The 
first  Sunday-School  Convention  of  the  Association 
was  held  in  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany  in  1875, 
and  was  well  attended.  The  first  Sunday-School 
Institute  was  held  in  Grace  Church  on  January  16, 
1883,  and  a  Sunday-School  Conference  was  held 
at  the  Church  of  the  Epiphany  in  October,  1883, 
during  the  session  of  the  General  Convention 
which  was  then  meeting  in  that  city.  This  was 
very  largely  attended,  and  not  less  than  twelve 
bishops  made  addresses.  The  American  Church 
Sunday-School  Institute  was  formed  through  the 
influence  of  this  Association  in  October,  1884, 
and  the  weekly  meetings  for  the  study  of  the  Sun- 
day-school lessons  were  begun  in  April,  1885. 
When  the  International  Series  of  lessons  began 

'  The  American  Church  Sunday- School  Magazine,  Feb., 
1895,  p.  126. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    123 

to  attract  attention  they  were  used  in  many  Epis- 
copal schools,  but  they  were  so  incongruous  with 
the  Church  year  that  although    several   attempts 
were  made  to  adapt  them,  it  was  found  to  be  im- 
possible.   A  meeting  was  therefore  held  in  Grace 
Church,  New  York,  in  1874,  at  which  the  com- 
mittee known  as  the  Joint  Diocesan  Committee  was 
inaugurated.    The  members  of  this  committee  are 
appointed  by  the  bishops  of  the  several  dioceses 
and  include  delegates  representing  the  Brother- 
hood of  St.  Andrew  and  the  American  Church 
Sunday-School  Institute.     The  regular  meetings 
take  place  twice  a  year,  each  course  of  lessons  be- 
ing for  six  months.      The  methods  of  work  are 
practically  the  same  as  those  of  the  International 
Lesson  Committee.  In  1897  an  effort  was  made  to 
decide  on  a  course  of  study  for  five  years,  from 
1899  to  1904.     The  object  of  the  Committee  is  to 
put  forth  instruction  in  accordance  with  the  prin- 
ciples of  the  Episcopal  Church  or  the  Church  year ; 
to  secure  thorough  familiarity  with  the  Church 
catechism,  a  portion  being  set  forth  in  each  lesson ; 
to  make  everybody  familiar  with  the  leading  doc- 
trines of  Christianity  as  they  are  associated  with 
the  Church  year ;  to  call  frequent  attention  to  the 
prayer  book  and  its  devotional  uses ;  and  to  bring 
before  the  minds  of  all  the  methods  and  obliga- 
tions of  Christian  work  in  its  different  branches, 
especially  the  missionary  operations.   The  number 
of  teachers  and  pupils  using  these  lessons  is  over 
four  hundred  thousand  in  the  United  States  and 


124         Sunday-School  Movements 

Canada.^''  There  are  a  number  of  publishers  who 
employ  editors  to  prepare  the  lesson  papers,  the 
two  most  popular  of  these  courses  being  the  Whit- 
taker  and  the  Jacobs  series. 

Other  lesson  series,  as  the  International  and 
the  Bible  Study  Union,  are  used  in  many  Episcopal 
Sunday-schools.  In  addition  to  these  periodical 
papers,  a  single  denominational  publishing  house 
in  New  York  City  can  supply  nearly  a  hundred 
different  Episcopal  manuals  for  Sunday-school 
instruction.  These  are  mostly  catechetical  and 
many  of  them  are  in  graded  courses  carefully  pre- 
pared to  lead  the  child  through  studies  in  the  Bible, 
doctrines,  and  Church  history. 

Church  music  and  church  forms  of  worship  are 
usually  used  in  the  Sunday-schools,  and  a  special 
church  service  for  children,  in  tone  with  the  older 
services,  is  a  regular  appointment  in  many  parishes. 

Conferences,  conventions  and  institutes  are  be- 
coming more  frequent  and  more  serious  in  this  de- 
nomination, and  great  effort  is  being  made,  with 
the  aid  of  leading  scholars  in  the  philosophy  and 
art  of  education,  to  solve  the  pressing  problem  of 
the  Church's  duty  in  the  matter  of  national  re- 
ligious training. 

Friend.  Prominent  in  the  history  of  Pennsyl- 
vania are  "the  Friends  and  their  First-day  schools, 
often  called  by  them  Bible  or  Scripture-schools. 

'"Dictation  from  a  member  of  the  committee  (Dr. 
Shinn). 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    12^ 

They  formed  a  Bible  Society  in  Philadelphia  in 
1830  "  About  the  same  time,  Hannah  C.  Black- 
house,  of  England,  visited  America  in  company 
with  her  husband,  Jonathan  Blackhouse,  who  was 
a  minister.  She  found  to  her  sorrow,  much  neg- 
lect of  the  Bible  among  American  Friends,  and 
established  the  first  Bible  schools  among  them. 
The  movement  was  not  rapid  at  first,  but  for  many 
years  now  such  schools  have  been  almost  universal 
in  the  orthodox  branch  of  the  Society.  Most  of 
the  schools  use  the  International  Lessons,  and  all 
of  the  "  Yearly  Meetings  "  except  one  have  stand- 
ing committees  whose  duty  it  is  to  encourage  and 
help  the  schools  in  the  various  localities.  The 
minutes  of  a  recent  Iowa  "  Yearly  Meeting  "  have 
a  remarkable  record  in  the  relatively  large  num- 
bers in  Bible-schools,  and  in  the  large  proportion 
of  families  that  have  some  defined  religious  home 
training. 

The  Hicksite  body  of  Friends  have  flourishing 
First-day  schools,  some  of  which  have  adopted  the 
International  Lessons.  Others  use  a  series  of  les- 
sons selected  and  prepared  by  a  Central  Committee 
of  their  own  body.  These  schools  are  not  all  con- 
fined to  Bible  lessons,  ^^  but  deal  sometimes  with 
ethical  or  humanitarian  subjects.     For  instance, 

"American  Church  History,  vol.  XII,  Thomas  & 
Thomas,  p.  281. 

"  Sunday-Schools,  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, Report  of  Commissioner  of  Education  for  1896-97, 
p.  389. 


126         Sunday-School  Movements 

one  book  which  they  use  is  "  American  Charities : 
A  Study  in  Philanthropy  and  Economics,"'  by 
Amos  G.  Warner.  Also  a  "  Book  of  Devotional 
Poems,"  and  "  Selections  from  Whittier's  Poem;^," 
are  considerably  used.  The  Hicksites  tend  to 
make  much  of  literature,  and  in  some  places, 
especially  in  New  York,  they  circulate  traveling 
libraries  among  the  country  schools. 

Hebrew.  The  Hebrew  Sunday-schools  are,  in 
general,  of  two  kinds,  Orthodox  and  Reformed. 
The  Orthodox  differ  very  little  from  schools  in 
vogue  before  Christ.^ ^  The  Reformed  vary,  and 
it  is  not  easy  to  make  general  statements  regard- 
ing them.  Each  congregation  is  a  voluntary  as- 
sociation governed  by  its  own  rules  and  responsi- 
ble to  no  other  association,  except  through  its  own 
pledges.^* 

In  1872  the  Jews  at  Cincinnati  made  an  effort 
to  form  a  union  of  congregations,  "  the  object  of 
which  should  be, — First,  to  establish  a  Jewish 
theological  faculty ;  second,  to  furnish  proper 
books  for  our  Sabbath  schools ;  third,  to  adopt  a 
code  of  laws  defining  Judaism.  "  Out  of  this 
movement  grew  the  Union  of  American  Hebrew 
Congregations ;  the  Hebrew  Union  College  in  Cin- 
cinnati ;  and  the  Hebrew  Sabbath-School  Union. 
To  make  the  Sabbath-school  work  more  efficient, 

"  Sunday-School  Work,  Ellis,  Pedagogical  Seminary, 
June,  1896,  p.  393. 

"  Sunday-Schools,  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, 1896-97,  p.  405. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    127 

prizes  were  offered  for  the  best  biblical  history, 
the  best  post-biblical  histor}-,  and  the  best  cate- 
chism. In  1878  a  prize  was  offered  for  the  best 
hymn-book  for  Sabbath-schools. 

The  Hebrew  Sabbath-School  Union,  formed  in 
1886  by  a  Sabbath-school  convention  in  Cincin- 
nati, adopted  a  constitution  which  included  the 
following  from  article  VII,  section  i  :  The  execu- 
tive committee  shall  prepare  plans  to  carry  into 
effect  the  unification  of  the  work  of  the  Hebrew 
Sabbath-schools  as  specified  in  the  following  sec- 
tions: (a)  Instruction  in  the  principles,  doctrines, 
and  precepts  of  Judaism,  (b)  Instruction  in  the 
reading  of  the  Bible  in  the  vernacular,  (c)  In- 
struction in  the  Hebrew  language  at  least  to  the 
extent  of  understanding  the  Hebrew  prayers  and 
appropriate  portions  of  the  Bible,  (d)  Instruc- 
tion in  Jewish  history  covering  the  biblical  and 
post-biblical  periods,  (e)  Instruction  in  music, 
with  a  view  to  prepare  children  to  participate  in 
the  service.  Section  2.  In  addition  to  the  fore- 
going, which  shall  constitute  a  six  years'  course, 
including  a  one  year's  course  for  confirmation,  the 
executive  committee  shall  also  provide  for  a  two 
vears*  course  of  instruction  for  a  post-confirmation 
class  and  a  complete  course  of  study  for  normal 
classes. 

Most  Hebrew  Sabbath-schools  have  sessions  on 
Sunday  morning  from  nine  o'clock  to  eleven  or 
half-past  eleven.  Some  have  an  additional  ses- 
sion on  Saturday  from  nine  to  ten  a.  m.    The  rabbi 


laS         Sunday-School  Movements 

is  the  superintendent,  or  where  there  is  no  rabbi, 
a  layman  has  charge  of  the  school.  A  considera- 
ble proportion  of  the  teachers  are  paid. 

Probably  the  best  Hebrew  Sunday-school  in 
America  is  that  at  the  Temple  Emanuel,  on  Fifth 
Avenue,  New  York,  described  by  Mr.  Ellis.  The 
school  meets  every  Sunday  morning,  but  follows 
completely  the  principles  and  methods  of  the  public 
schools.  Children  must  obtain  permission  from 
the  educational  committee  of  the  church  in  order 
to  enter  the  school.  After  the  opening  exercises 
of  devotion,  the  school  divides  into  five  grades, 
each  grade  going  into  an  entirely  separate  room, 
and  each  studying  one  of  the  five  grades  of  Katz- 
enberg's  Biblical  History.  There  is  also  oppor- 
tunity to  study  a  post-biblical  history,  by  Hecht. 

Latter-Day  Saint.  Besides  those  branches  of  the 
Church  which  trace  their  ancestry  back  across  the 
Atlantic,  there  is,  in  the  western  part  of  our  land 
a  younger,  yet  large  and  rapidly  growing  body, — 
the  Latter-Day  Saints.  Fifty  years  ago,  the 
"  Saints,  "  after  being  driven  from  their  homes  on 
the  banks  of  the  Mississippi,  settled  in  Utah.  Here 
in  the  wilds  of  the  Rocky  Mountains,  amidst  ad- 
verse circumstances,  Richard  Ballantyne  saw  and 
felt  the  need  of  religious  instruction  for  the  young. 
Accordingly,  in  May,  1849,  he  formed  the  purpose 
of  starting  a  Sunday-school  to  train  the  youth  in 
the  principles  of  the  Gospel  and  knowledge  of  the 
Mormon  scriptures.    By  the  second  Sunday  of  the 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    129 

following  December  he  had  built  a  suitable  house 
for  the  purpose,  and  he,  with  his  wife  and  babe, 
and  the  members  of  the  school  were  gathered 
there.  The  Sunday-school  numbered  about  fifty 
pupils.  They  furnished  their  own  books,  and  the 
lessons  were  from  the  New  Testament,  Book  of 
Mormon  and  Doctrine  and  Covenants.  The  study 
of  the  New  Testament  predominated.  The  school 
began  at  eight  o'clock  in  the  morning,  and  closed 
in  time  for  those  who  wished  to  attend  the  general 
meeting  of  the  "  Saints.  "  ''^ 

In  succeeding  years,  others,  inspired  with  an 
interest  in  the  education  of  the  children,  became 
pioneers  or  leaders  in  Sunday-school  work  in  other 
wards  and  setlements.    On  the  fourth  of  Novem- 
ber,  1867,  a  meeting  of  those  interested  in  the 
Sunday-schools  of  the  "  Saints  "  was  held  at  the 
Thirteenth  Ward  Assembly  Hall,  Salt  Lake  City, 
for  the  purpose  of  organizing  a  Sunday-School 
Union.     This  was  the  first  meeting  held  for  that 
purpose.    At  an  adjourned  meeting  on  the  eleventh 
of  that  month,  the  first  steps  were  taken  toward  a 
permanent   organization,   and   Elder   George   Q. 
Cannon  was  elected  president,  with  a  recording 
secretary  and  two  corresponding  secretaries.     A 
committee  of  three  was  also  appointed  to  examine 
and  decide  upon  books  suitable  for  use  in  the  Sun- 
day-schools. 

It  was  not  till  1872  that  the  Union  assumed  a 

"Juvenile  Instructor,  vol,  XXXIV,  Nov.  i,  1899,  PP- 
667-674. 


130         Sunday-School  Movements 

compact  and  definite  shape.  From  that  time  the 
efforts  and  labors  of  the  Union  became  more  prac- 
tical. Monthly  meetings  of  the  teachers  and  su- 
perintendents were  held  in  Salt  Lake  City  with 
great  regularity,  and  continued  to  grow  in  propor- 
tions and  interest  until  they  were  among  the  most 
popular  and  most  largely  attended  of  any  of  the 
assemblies  of  the  people  of  Zion.  The  Sunday- 
school  books  published  by  the  Union  are  now 
widely  used.  They  are  carefully  adapted  to  the 
various  sub-divisions  of  the  work.  The  Stake  or- 
ganizations are  one  means  by  which  the  influence 
of  the  Union  is  extended.  Stake  Superintendents 
of  Sunday-schools  are  now  almost  invariably  ap- 
pointed when  the  organization  of  a  stake  is  per- 
fected. In  every  stake  of  Zion  there  is  a  Stake 
Superintendent  of  Sunday-schools,  subject  to  the 
President  of  the  Stake,  with  assistant  officers  to 
look  after  and  care  for  the  Sunday-school  interests 
of  that  stake.  In  1884  the  general  monthly  meet- 
ings were  put  in  charge  of  the  stake  Sunday- 
school  authorities  and  the  general  meetings  of  the 
Union  were  appointed  to  be  held  twice  a  year  at 
the  times  of  the  General  Conferences  of  the 
Church. 

In  1887  a  new  feature  was  introduced  into  the 
services  of  the  Sunday-schools,  by  direction  of  the 
First  Presidency  of  the  Church,  namely  the  ad- 
ministration of  the  Sacrament  of  the  Lord's  Sup- 
per.    All  children  who  are  more  than  eight  years 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    131 

of  age,  if  baptized,  or  if  "  willing  and  anxious  to 
be  baptized  "  are  to  partake.  ^' 

Great  care  is  given  to  the  matter  of  music.  The 
Deseret  Sunday-School  Musical  Union,  organized 
in  1875,  was  of  short  duration;  nevertheless,  both 
individuals,  and  the  Sunday-School  Union,  have 
accomplished  much  by  their  efforts  to  promote 
the  musical  interests  of  the  Sunday-schools, 

It  is  also  interesting  to  note  that  there  are  nearly 
forty  per  cent,  more  male  teachers  and  officers  in 
the  Sunday-schools  than  female.  Much  is  done  to 
direct  and  help  the  work  of  the  teachers,  and  there 
are  even  Normal  Sunday-school  training  classes 
in  the  academy  at  Provo.  ^^ 

Some  of  the  principal  events  ^^  of  recent  years 
have  been :  the  holding  of  an  annual  Sunday-school 
Conference  in  each  stake;  the  more  thorough 
grading  of  the  pupils  into  different  departments ; 
the  establishment  of  Nickel  Day,  on  which  all 
members  of  the  Sunday-schools  are  invited  to  con- 
tribute at  least  one  nickel  to  aid  the  Sunday-school 
cause ;  the  observance  of  Humane  Day,  on  which 
special  efforts  are  made  to  inculcate  the  principles 
and  practice  of  kindness  and  mercy  to  animals; 
the  preparation  of  lessons  on  the  Bible,  the  Book 

"  Proceedings  of  the  First  Sunday-School  Convention 
of  the  Church  of  Jesus  Christ  of  the  Latter  Day  Saints, 
1899,  p.  75- 

"  Sunday-Schools,  United  States  Bureau  of  Educa- 
tion, 1896-97,  p.  416. 

"Juvenile  Instructor,  p.  671. 


132  Sunday-School  Movements 

of  Mormon  and  history  of  the  Church,  in  leaflet 
form ;  and  the  holding  of  a  Sunday-school  Conven- 
tion in  November,  1898,  which  was  well  attended 
by  delegates  from  the  different  schools  and  stakes 
extending  from  Canada  to  Mexico,  and  which 
proved  to  be  a  great  success. 

Lutheran.  The  Lutherans  have,  during  recent 
years,  been  turning  their  attention  to  Sunday- 
school  questions.  In  1830  a  Sunday-school  Union 
had  been  formed,  of  which  Rev.  C.  F.  Heyer  was 
agent.  During  the  first  year  he  traveled  nearly 
five  thousand  miles,  preached  in  three  hundred 
places,  and  established  a  large  number  of  Sunday- 
schools.  ^®  From  twelve  to  fifteen  thousand  Sun- 
day-school books  and  tracts  were  sold  and  dis- 
tributed. After  this,  however,  no  important  steps 
seem  to  have  been  taken  till  the  formation  of  a 
Council  lesson  system,  four  years  ago.  This  is 
largely  owing  to  the  maintenance  of  parochial 
day-schools  in  which  religious  instruction  is  given. 

Both  the  Lutheran  and  the  Protestant  Episcopal 
Churches  generally  have  catechetical  classes,  or 
some  form  of  special  instruction,  for  weeks  and 
often  months  previous  to  Easter  or  the  time  of 
confirmation.  Many  Lutheran  Sunday-schools 
hold  two  sessions.  In  New  York,  for  instance, 
nearly,  if  not  all  of  the  schools,  have  a  morning 
session  before  service  and  another  in  the  afternoon. 

'*  Lutherans,  by  H.  E.  Jacobs ;  American  Church  His- 
tory, vol.  IV,  p.  374. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    IJ3 

Great  stress  is  laid  on  the  service  and  hymns  of 
the  church  in  the  Sunday-school.  Dr.  Trabert 
voices  the  general  opinion  of  his  denomination 
when  he  says :  "  It  is  of  the  greatest  importance 
that  the  children  early  learn  to  appreciate  the 
church's  magnificent  treasures  in  her  matchless 
hymns  and  unrivaled  service.  The  Sunday-school 
must  lead  into  the  inner  sanctuary  by  acquainting 
the  children  with  and  awakening  a  love  for  the 
full  service  of  the  sanctuary.  To  this  end  the 
matin  and  vesper  services  are  peculiarly  adapted.  " 
The  Lutheran  Church  Review  of  October,  1896, 
is  almost  wholly  devoted  to  the  subject  of  Sunday- 
schools.  Conferences  are  being  held  on  the  sub- 
ject, and  there  are  many  signs  of  advanced  thought 
and  methods  which  would  be  suggestive  to  other 
denominations. 

Methodist.  The  most  prominent  people  in  Sun- 
day-school work  are  the  Methodists.  In  the  con- 
ference of  1779,  five  years  before  the  organization 
of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  the  question 
was  asked.  "  What  shall  be  done  with  the  chil- 
dren ?  "  The  answer  was  given,  "  Meet  them  once 
a  fortnight,  and  examine  the  parents  with  regard 
to  their  conduct  toward  them.  "  In  the  first  Dis- 
cipline, 1784,  we  find,  "  Where  there  are  ten  chil- 
dren whose  parents  are  in  the  society,  meet  them 
at  least  one  hour  every  week.-° 

"  Growth  of  the  Sunday-School  Idea  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  J.  M.  Freeman,  Meth.  Q.  Rev.,  July, 
1871,  p.  400. 


134        Sunday-School  Movements 

John  Wesley,  it  is  claimed,*^  instituted  Sunday- 
schools  as  early  as  1737,  in  Savannah,  Georgia. 
However  this  may  be,  he  no  sooner  heard  of 
Robert  Raikes'  Sunday-schools  than  he  approved 
of  them.  He  published  an  account  of  them  in  the 
American  Magazine  for  January,  1785,  and  ex- 
horted his  Societies  to  imitate  this  laudable  ex- 
ample. They  took  his  advice.^^  Bishop  Asbury, 
at  that  time  "  Superintendent  of  the  Methodist 
Church  in  America,"  also  encouraged  and  assisted 
the  establishment  of  Sunday-schools. 

Unlike  some  other  Sunday-schools  of  those 
times,  the  Methodist  schools  included  the  three 
important  ideas  of  gratuitous  instruction,  religious 
instruction,  and  books  "  to  teach  learning  and 
piety,"  which  ideas  were,  in  1790,  officially  in- 
corporated in  the  Discipline.  Two  kinds  of  Sun- 
day-schools were  organized  by  the  early  Metho- 
dists. Both  are  frequently  referred  to  in  the 
Discipline.  First,  there  were  classes  of  one  hour 
a  week  for  children  whose  parents  were  able  to 
teach  them.  Especial  directions  were  given  by 
the  Conference  of  1787  for  the  formation  of  such 
classes,  and  the  children  were  to  "  graduate  into 
the  Church.  "  Second,  the  question  was  asked  in 
1790,  "  What  can  be  done  in  order  to  instruct  poor 

"  The  Rise  and  Progress  of  Sunday-Schools,  John 
Carroll  Power,  1863,  p.  22. 

"  Annual  Report  of  the  Sunday-School  Union  of  the 
Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  185 1,  p.  93. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    135 

children,  white  and  black,  to  read?  "  The  answer 
was  given,  "  Let  us  labor,  as  the  heart  and  soul  of 
one  man,  to  establish  Sunday-schools  in  or  near 
the  place  of  public  worship  "  which  shall  give  in- 
struction "  from  six  o'clock  in  the  morning  till  ten, 
and  from  two  o'clock  in  the  afternoon  till  six,  " 
and  such  schools  were  established. 

From  this  time  the  Sunday-school  idea  grew 
slowly  and  steadily.  In  1824  the  General  Confer- 
ence passed  three  resolutions  on  Sunday-schools. 
It  was  made  "  tlie  duty  of  each  traveling  preacher 
in  our  connection  to  encourage  the  establishment 
of  Sunday-schools  " ;  arrangements  were  made  for 
the  compilation  of  a  catechism  for  Sunday-school 
children ;  and  the  book  agents  were  instructed  "  to 
provide  and  keep  on  hand  a  good  assortment  of 
books  suitable  for  the  use  of  Sunday-schools.  " 

On  April  second,  1827,  the  Sunday-School 
Union  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church  was 
organized  in  New  York  City,  this  location  being 
chosen  because  of  "  the  facilities  afforded  by  our 
Book  Concern  for  printing  and  circulating  books.  " 
The  objects  of  the  Union  were  "  to  promote  the 
formation,  and  to  concentrate  the  efforts  of  Sab- 
bath-schools connected  with  the  Congregations  of 
the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church,  and  all  others 
that  may  become  auxiliary ;  to  aid  in  the  instruc- 
tion of  the  rising  generation,  particularly  in  the 
knowledge  of  the  Holy  Scriptures,  and  in  the  serv- 
ice and  worship  of  God.    This  Society  flourished 


136  Sunday-School  Movements 

until  1833,23  when  it  was  merged  with  the  Bible 
and  Tract  Society.  The  new  organization  was  dis- 
solved after  three  years.  In  1840  the  Sunday- 
School  Union  was  reorganized  and  it  put  forth 
new  life  which  has  not  since  languished.  In  1872, 
however,  a  change  was  affected  making  the  Board 
of  Managers  to  be  appointed  by  the  Church 
through  its  representative  body,  the  General  Con- 
ference. This  necessitated  a  new  charter,  and 
the  objects  of  the  Corporation  were  stated  to  be 
"  charitable  and  religious,  designed  to  advance  the 
interests  and  promote  the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools 
in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  and  elsewhere.  " 

The  work  of  this  large  and  progressive  Society 
falls  under  three  departments.  The  Department 
of  Instruction  prepares  lesson  books,  papers  and 
practical  helps  of  various  kinds  for  both  scholars 
and  teachers.  It  also  has  a  well-defined  system  of 
Normal  Instruction,  comprising  the  use  of  text- 
books, prepared  especially  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
holding  of  Normal  Classes,  Institutes,  Assemblies,- 
and  other  meetings  for  recreation  and  instruction. 
The  Department  of  Publication  works  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  Book  Concern.  It  both  edits  publica- 
tions connected  with  Sunday-school  work  and 
purchases  supplies  from  the  Book  Concern  for 
needy  schools.  The  Department  of  Benevolence 
seeks  to  organize  and  sustain  Sunday-schools  in 

"  The  Sunday-School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church,  J.  M.  Freeman,  p.  3. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    137 

destitute  places,  both  here  and  in  foreign  lands, 
and  to  furnish  books  and  requisites  for  the  schools 
when  the  people  are  unable  to  pay  for  them.  The 
Union  does  a  large  and  useful  work  among  the 
colored  people  of  the  South,  among  the  Indians, 
and  especially  among  the  immigrants,  thousands 
and  thousands  of  whom  are  gathered  into  its  Sun- 
day-schools. It  also  has  thousands  of  schools  in 
foreign  lands. 

The  same  year  that  the  Union  was  reorganized, 
the  General  Conference  "*  made  it  the  duty  of  the 
Presiding  Elder  carefully  to  inquire  at  each  quar- 
terly conference  if  the  rules  for  the  instruction  of 
children  had  been  faithfully  observed.  These  rules 
were  entirely  remodeled  and  enlarged,  covering 
more  than  two  pages  of  the  Discipline.  Also  the 
Preacher  in  charge  was  required  "  to  visit  the 
schools  as  often  as  practicable,  to  preach  on  the 
subject  of  Sunday-schools  and  religious  instruc- 
tion in  each  congregation  at  least  once  in  six 
months,  "  and  to  form  Bible  classes  for  the  in- 
struction of  older  members. 

In  1852  male  superintendents  who  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  were  admitted  to  the  quarterly 
conferences,  with  the  right  to  speak  and  vote  on 
questions  relating  to  the  Sunday-schools.  Four 
years  later  such  superintendents  were  made  full 
members  of  the  quarterly  conference,  with  the  one 
proviso  that  the  quarterly  conference  shall  first  ap- 

"  Growth  of  the  Sunday- School  Idea  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  J.  M.  Freeman,  M.  Q.  R.,  p.  404. 


136  Sunday-School  Movements 

until  i833,=3  when  it  was  merged  with  the  Bible 
and  Tract  Society.  The  new  organization  was  dis- 
solved after  three  years.  In  1840  the  Sunday- 
School  Union  was  reorganized  and  it  put  forth 
new  Hfe  which  has  not  since  languished.  In  1872, 
however,  a  change  was  affected  making  the  Board 
of  Managers  to  be  appointed  by  the  Church 
through  its  representative  body,  the  General  Con- 
ference. This  necessitated  a  new  charter,  and 
the  objects  of  the  Corporation  were  stated  to  be 
"  charitable  and  religious,  designed  to  advance  the 
interests  and  promote  the  cause  of  Sabbath-schools 
in  connection  with  the  Methodist  Episcopal  Church 
in  the  United  States  and  elsewhere.  " 

The  work  of  this  large  and  progressive  Society 
falls  under  three  departments.  The  Department 
of  Instruction  prepares  lesson  books,  papers  and 
practical  helps  of  various  kinds  for  both  scholars 
and  teachers.  It  also  has  a  well-defined  system  of 
Kormal  Instruction,  comprising  the  use  of  text- 
books, prepared  especially  for  the  purpose,  and  the 
holding  of  Normal  Classes,  Institutes,  Assemblies,- 
and  other  meetings  for  recreation  and  instruction. 
The  Department  of  Publication  works  in  coopera- 
tion with  the  Book  Concern.  It  both  edits  publica- 
tions connected  with  Sunday-school  work  and 
purchases  supplies  from  the  Book  Concern  for 
needy  schools.  The  Department  of  Benevolence 
seeks  to  organize  and  sustain  Sunday-schools  in 

"The  Sunday-School  Union  of  the  Methodist  Episco- 
pal Church.  J.  M.  Freeman,  p.  3. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    137 

destitute  places,  both  here  and  in  foreign  lands, 
and  to  furnish  books  and  requisites  for  the  schools 
when  the  people  are  unable  to  pay  for  them.  The 
Union  does  a  large  and  useful  work  among  the 
colored  people  of  the  South,  among  the  Indians, 
and  especially  among  the  immigrants,  thousands 
and  thousands  of  whom  are  gathered  into  its  Sun- 
day-schools. It  also  has  thousands  of  schools  in 
foreign  lands. 

The  same  year  that  the  Union  was  reorganized, 
the  General  Conference  '*  made  it  the  duty  of  the 
Presiding  Elder  carefully  to  inquire  at  each  quar- 
terly conference  if  the  rules  for  the  instruction  of 
children  had  been  faithfully  observed.  These  rules 
were  entirely  remodeled  and  enlarged,  covering 
more  than  two  pages  of  the  Discipline.  Also  the 
Preacher  in  charge  was  required  "  to  visit  the 
schools  as  often  as  practicable,  to  preach  on  the 
subject  of  Sunday-schools  and  religious  instruc- 
tion in  each  congregation  at  least  once  in  six 
months,  "  and  to  form  Bible  classes  for  the  in- 
struction of  older  members. 

In  1852  male  superintendents  who  were  mem- 
bers of  the  Church,  were  admitted  to  the  quarterly 
conferences,  with  the  right  to  speak  and  vote  on 
questions  relating  to  the  Sunday-schools.  Four 
years  later  such  superintendents  were  made  full 
members  of  the  quarterly  conference,  with  the  one 
proviso  that  the  quarterly  conference  shall  first  ap- 

**  Growth  of  the  Sunday-School  Idea  in  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church,  J.  M.  Freeman,  M.  Q.  R.,  p.  404. 


140         Sunday-School  Movements 

Vincent,  in  1874,  founded  the  great  educational 
system  known  as  the  Chautauqua  Movement.* 

It  is  difficult  to  estimate  the  extent  of  the  influ- 
ence of  these  great  advances,  especially  as  we  lose 
the  perspective  in  drawing  nearer  the  present. 
Two  more  points,  however,  deserve  at  least  to  be 
mentioned.  One  is  the  Methodist  kindergarten  of 
the  Church,  which  has  for  its  purpose  "  to  intro- 
duce the  principles  of  the  kindergarten  into  the 
primary  department  of  the  Sunday-school ;  also 
to  recommend  that  there  be  five  sessions  for  this 
department  during  the  week  in  addition  to  the 
one  on  Sunday.  "  The  other  is  the  Home  Depart- 
ment of  the  Sunday-School  Union,  on  the  same 
plan  as  other  home  departments,  and  numbering, 
in  1897,  when  it  was  first  recognized  in  the  Sun- 
day-school system  of  the  Methodist  Episcopal 
Church,  more  than  seventy-seven  thousand  mem- 
bers. 

Presbyterian.  In  Sunday-school  work  the  Pres- 
byterians have  done  perhaps  more  as  individuals 
than  as  a  branch  of  the  Church,  but  it  is  as  the 
latter  that  we  must  here  consider  them. 

In  colonial  days  Presbyterian  ministers  were  ex- 
pected to  meet  and  catechise  the  children  of  their 
charges  every  week  on  Wednesday  or  on  Sunday, 
with  the  help  of  some  of  the  elders,  or,  if  she  were 
a  notable  woman,  of  the  pastor's  wife.    The  West- 

*  For  fuller  account  of  Institutes  and  the  Chautauqua 
Movement,  see  chapter  on  the  same. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    141 

minster  Shorter  Catechism  was  taught  in  the  Pres- 
byterian day-schools,  especially  in  Pennsylvania. 
If  a  child  of  a  Lutheran  or  Methodist  family  was 
in  the  school,  he  went  through  the  whole  curricu- 
lum, and  his  parents  were  glad  to  have  it  so.^^ 
After  mastering  the  headings  in  the  spellmg-book 
and  some  primer,  the  only  other  reading  book  was 
the  Bible.  The  New  Testament  was  read  by  the 
junior  class,  and  the  Old  Testament  by  the  seniors. 
With  the  introduction  of  Sunday-schools  at  the 
beginning  of  the  century,  this  work  declined  and 
the  Presbyterians  gave  large  support  ^°  to  the  ex- 
tension of  the  Sunday-school  system.  The  Board 
of  Publication  also  changed  after  a  while  from 
employing  agents  merely  to  carry  on  the  sale  of  its 
books,  to  directing  its  agents  to  seek  to  establish 
Sunday-schools  in  neglected  districts.  For  this 
reason  in  1887  the  General  Assembly  enlarged  the 
title  of  the  Board  to  include  this  work,  and  ap- 
pointed a  secretary  to  take  charge  of  it.  It  also 
has  placed  the  statistics  of  Sunday-school  mem- 
bership and  contributions  on  the  same  footing  as 
those  of  the  congregations.  ^^ 

There  is  no  Presbyterian  Sunday-School  Union. 
The  Cumberland  Presbyterians  issue,  through 
their   Board  of   Publication,   the   usual   Sunday- 

"  United  Presbyteria  Church  of  North  America,  by 
Scouller,  American  Church  History,  vol.  XI,  p.  240. 

"  Presbyterians,  by  Thompson.  American  Church  His- 
tory, vol.  VI,  p.  131- 

**  Presbyterians,  by  Thompson,  p.  200. 


1412         Sunday-School  Movements 

school  literature.  This  Board  was  organized  in 
1867  and  located  at  Nashville.  The  Southern 
Presbyterians  have  laid  upon  their  Committee  of 
Publication  the  general  oversight  of  all  the  Sun- 
day-school interests  and  the  advancement  of  the 
work  in  all  practicable  ways. 

Among  all  branches  of  Presbyterians  the  Inter- 
national Lessons  and  the  Westminster  Catechisms 
are  widely  used,  the  former  being  presented  in  a 
variety  of  quarterlies  and  helps.  In  the  line  of 
music  there  is  little  that  the  Presbyterians  have 

not  attempted,  either  as  to  instruments  or  hymn- 
books. 

Eeformed.  The  Reformed  Church  is  Calvinistic 
like  the  Presbyterian.  It  uses  chiefly  the  Interna- 
tional Lessons,  as  issued  by  the  German  Reformed 
Church  in  the  Heidelberg  series,  and  the  Heidel- 
berg Catechism.  The  Sunday-School  Board  of 
the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  some 
times  called  the  German  Reformed  Church,  was 
first  incorporated  in  1897,  though  it  had  carried  on 
an  active  work  for  years.  In  1898  the  Board  of 
Publication  of  the  Reformed  Church  in  America, 
colloquially  called  Dutch  Reformed,  made  a  con- 
tract with  the  above  Board  of  the  German  Re- 
formed Church,  ^^  according  to  which  the  Dutch 
Board  has  an  editorial  representative  on  the  Ger- 
man Board  and  receives  its  own  imprint  on  the 
publications,  some  slight  changes  being  made. 

**  Triennial  Report  of  the  Sunday-School  Board  of  the 
Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States,  1899,  p.  24. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    143 

From  the  first,  a  marked  characteristic  of  the 
Reformed  Dutch  Church,  and  perhaps  hardly  less 
of  the  entire  Reformed  Church,  has  been  her  care 
for  the  instruction  of  the  young.  Christian  nur- 
ture was  regarded  as  the  chief  means  of  perpet- 
uating the  Church.  Qiristian  parents  were  ex- 
pected to  present  their  children  for  baptism;  to 
train  them  for  God,  and  to  expect  covenanted 
grace  for  them,  so  that  at  a  suitable  age  they 
would  be  led  to  make  a  sincere  profession  of  their 
faith  in  Christ."  The  Synod  of  Dort  said  much 
on  this  subject.  It  was  required  of  every  minister 
that  the  sermon  on  Sunday  afternoon  should  be 
explanatory  of  one  of  the  "  Lord's  Days  "  of  the 
Heidelberg  Catechism,  so  that  the  whole  catechism 
might  be  expounded  in  the  course  of  the  year. 
The  ministers  are  still  required  by  the  Constitu- 
tion and  by  their  calls  to  do  this  work,  but  are  al- 
lowed four  years  in  which  to  cover  the  catechism. 

In  1839,  the  Board  of  Sabbath-School  Union 
was  formed,  the  object  of  which  was  to  increase 
interest  in  the  Sunday-schools  and  to  secure,  as  far 
as  possible,  the  teaching  of  the  catechisms  of  the 
Church  in  them.  The  power  of  the  Board  was  ad- 
visory, though  it  also  did  some  publishing,  estab- 
lished new  schools,  and  aided  and  encouraged 
feeble  ones.  It  was  abolished  by  the  General 
Synod  in  1862. 

Recently,  in  all  departments  of  the  Reformed 

"The  Reformed  Church  in  America,  4th  edit.,  1889, 
by  David  D.  Dcmarest,  p.  156. 


144         Sunday-School  Movements 

Church,  there  has  been  a  tendency  toward  more 
complete  organization.  Sunday-schools  have  re- 
ceived much  attention.  In  the  German  Reformed 
Church  a  general  secretary  has  been  appointed  to 
direct  this  important  interest.  ^*  In  the  Dutch 
Reformed  Church,  the  Sunday-school  Committee 
reported  in  1899  that  "  with  the  exception  of  the 
Classis  of  Raritan  all  the  classes  of  the  Church 
have  appointed  permanent  Sunday-school  Com- 
mittees, and  through  these  the  Sunday-school  work 
has  a  care  and  oversight  such  as  it  never  had  be- 
fore. The  vast  responsibility  of  the  work  is  urged 
upon  pastors,  superintendents  and  teachers,  and 
the  study  of  methods  of  work  is  earnestly  com- 
mended. " 

Normal  classes  are  formed  in  an  increasing 
number  of  the  schools.  Young  people's  work, 
especially  in  a  missionary  line,  is  prominent  in 
the  Sunday-schools  and  is  considered  to  have  edu- 
cational results. 

Roman  Catholic.  Since  the  Roman  Catholic 
Church  insists  upon  daily  religious  instruction, 
the  Sunday-school  has  not  been  so  prominent  in 
that  Church  as  a  dependence  upon  it  for  religious 
teaching  would  make  it.  Within  recent  years  the 
number  of  children  who  attend  public  schools,  and 
the  conditions  regarding  these  schools,  have  ap- 
parently prompted  greater  attention  to  Sunday- 

»*  Reformed  Church,  German,  by  Dubbs,  American 
Church  History,  vol.  VIII,  p.  420. 


The  Church  and  Sundav-School  Work    145 

schools.  They  have  now  some  of  die  best  attended 
and  most  carefully  organized  Sunday-schools  in 
America. 

The  work  is  kept  under  ecclesiastical  supervi- 
sion and  direction.  The  Church  has  a  number  of 
brotherhoods  and  sisterhoods  devoted  to  teaching, 
for  which  the  members  are  carefully  trained,  and 
there  are  summer  professional  schools  which  even 
experienced  teachers  attend  annually.  Some  priest, 
chosen  for  his  fitness,  has  the  responsible  supervi- 
sion. The  gradation  in  the  schools  is  more  or  less 
formal,  according  to  circumstances,  and  ranges 
from  the  youngest  class  in  a  catechism  of  elemen- 
tary faith  and  duty  to  adult  classes  with  text-books 
in  Bible  or  Church  history.  The  celebration  of 
the  mass  is  in  many  instances  the  preparatory 
service  for  the  Sunday-school,  and  often  includes 
the  exposition  of  the  Scripture  lesson  for  the  day. 
Some  churches  have  also  Saturday  morning 
classes  for  pupils  of  the  public  schools.^' 

In  most  Roman  Catholic  schools  little  is  taught 
save  a  series  of  catechisms,  containing  the  Church 
doctrines.  Of  these  catechisms  there  is  a  great 
variety,  and  there  are  several  authors  whose  works 
are  used  in  the  study  of  Bible  and  Church  history. 
No  national  uniformity  in  lessons  exists,  though 
all  the  various  catechisms  contain  about  the  same 
matter.  A  priest  or  publishing  house  prepares  a 
catechism,  obtains  its  approval  by  some  bishop, 

•*  Sunday- Schools,   United    States   Bureau    of   Educa- 
tion, 1896-97,  pp.  413  and  353. 


146         Sunday-School  Movements 

and  any  school  may  use  it.  A  catechism  was  pre- 
pared and  enjoined  by  order  of  the  Third  Plenary 
Council  of  Baltimore,  in  1885,  ^^i  liope  of  bring- 
ing about  uniformity  in  this  country,  but  it  was 
not  satisfactory  from  a  pedagogical  standpoint  and 
therefore  not  universally  used. 

The  school  of  the  Paulist  Fathers,  ^®  Fifty-ninth 
Street,  New  York,  represents  probably  the  most 
advanced  methods  and  ideas  among  the  Roman 
Catholics,  and  is  far  superior  to  the  average  school. 
It  meets  at  nine  on  Sunday  morning  with  about 
eighteen  hundred  people  from  three  to  thirty 
years  of  age,  of  all  social  classes.  The  large  as- 
sembly hall  is  hung  with  pictures  and  mottoes  and 
furnished  with  images.  Mass  is  said  and  the 
children  use  the  "  Sunday-School  Manual "  pre- 
pared for  them  by  the  director,  simplifying  the 
whole,  appending  a  collection  of  spirited  hymns  to 
be  interjected,  and  adapting  it  to  children.  Then 
folding  doors  separate  the  departments  and  the 
regular  lessons  are  taken  up  by  the  teachers.  The 
smallest  children  are  put  through  kindergarten 
movements,  listen  to  legends  and  some  Bible  facts, 
and  are  taught  to  make  the  sign  of  the  cross  and 
say  various  short  prayers  of  the  Church,  and  to 
repeat  the  Apostles  Creed.  Above  this  there  are 
five  more  grades  each  using  catechetical  instruc- 
tion of  increasing  fullness  concerning  the  Chris- 
tian life  and  duties  and  the  Roman  Catholic  doc- 

"  Sunday-School  Work,  Pedagogical  Seminary,  June. 
1896,  Ellis. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    147 

trine.  This  school  meets  on  Wednesday  as  well 
as  on  Sunday.  The  parents  are  required  by  the 
laws  of  the  church  to  teach  the  catechism  to  their 
children  at  home  during  the  week.  The  school  has 
a  regular  series  of  examinations,  and  a  certificate 
of  graduation  is  granted  to  those  passing  the  first 
examination.  It  offers  a  gold  medal  for  the  best 
paper  and  makes  full  use  of  rewards  and  the 
stimulus  of  rivalry.  The  course  is  so  arranged  as 
to  take  advantage  of  the  great  incitement  afforded 
by  a  sense  of  mastery  of  something.  The  direc- 
tors and  teachers  show  earnestness,  enthusiasm, 
personal  interest  and  sympathy  with  the  children 
and  a  pedagogical  insight.  They  go  from  the 
known  to  the  unknown.  The  service  of  mass  with 
a  decorated  altar,  the  solemn  music  and  the  united 
singing,  the  robed  priests  and  acolytes,  are  all 
most  aptly  chosen  to  appeal  to  the  soul  of  the 
child  and  to  create  a  sense  of  reverence.  ^° 

TJnitarian.  The  Unitarians  were  among  the 
first  to  start  a  denominational  Sunday-school 
Society.  This  was  organized  in  Boston,  April  18, 
1827,  under  the  name  of  the  Boston  Sunday-School 
Society.  Its  members  were  pastors,  teachers,  and 
officers  from  the  ten  Unitarian  Sunday-schools  in 
the  city.^''  The  first  Unitarian  Sunday-school  in 
Boston,  formed  in  1824,  had  met  with  strong  dis- 
approval, lest  the  important  work  of  the  religious 

"  Sixty  Years  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday- School  Soci- 
ety, 1887.  by  H.  G.  Spaulding. 


148         Sunday-School  Movements 

instruction  of  the  young  should  be  taken  out  of 
the  mother's  hand;  but  this  opposition  was  soon 
proved  a  mistake.  The  Society  met  once  in  three 
months,  with  an  annual  meeting  in  December,  and 
debated  important  questions.  In  the  second  year 
of  its  existence,  an  arrangement  was  made  with 
the  infant  American  Unitarian  Association, 
whereby  certain  text-books  should  be  published, 
bearing  the  imprint  of  the  two  Societies.  It  was 
not  till  1884,  however,  that  the  first  attempt  was 
made  to  instruct  young  people  by  a  manual  of 
Unitarian  belief.  In  183 1  the  Society  dropped  the 
word  "  Boston  "  from  its  name.  The  influence 
of  this  society  can  be  better  appreciated  by  look- 
ing at  the  names  of  those  who  addressed  its  meet- 
ings, among  which  are  found  those  of  Horace 
Mann,  Dr.  Channing,  and  others  of  almost  equal 
eminence. 

In  1852  an  important  forward  step  was  taken  by 
the  publication  of  a  series  of  eight  graded  manuals 
written  by  leading  ministers.  Two  years  later  the 
Unitarian  Sunday- School  Society  was  reorgan- 
ized, and  the  same  year  a  Sunday-school  teachers' 
institute  held,  at  which  Edward  H.  Clarke,  M.  D., 
urged  the  consideration  of  the  laws  of  the  soul's 
growth,  and  earnestly  advocated  a  graded  system 
of  studies.  This  institute,  though  perhaps  less 
characteristic,  permanent  and  widely  influential, 
was  seven  years  earlier  than  the  famous  Meth- 
odist institute  of  1861. 

In  1866  the  Ladies'  Commission  was  formed  as 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    149 

a  volunteer  auxiliary  to  the  Society,  its  chief  work 
being  the  preparation  of  carefully  sifted  Hsts  of 
books  suitable  for  Unitarian  Sunday-school  libra- 
ries. 

On  the  fifteenth  of  October,  1873,  the  Western 
Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society  was  organized 
at  Chicago,  and  since  then  a  number  of  Unitarian 
Societies  and  Unions  have  risen.  It  is  interesting 
to  note  that  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School  Union 
of  the  Pacific  Coast,  organized  November,  1891, 
pledges  itself  to  work  in  cooperation  with  the 
"  Unitarian  Sunday-School  Society.  "  ^® 

For  more  than  fifteen  years  the  Unitarian  Sun- 
day-School Society  has  been  aiding  feeble  schools 
and  giving  special  attention  to  practical  helps  for 
teachers.  The  first  summer  assembly  held  by  the 
Society  was  in  July,  1890.  Beginning  with  1892 
the  Society  issued  annually  a  One-Topic  Graded 
Course  on  such  subjects  as  the  Old  Testament  or 
Story  of  Israel,  Great  Thoughts  of  Israel,  the  Life 
of  Jesus,  Teachings  of  Jesus,  and  the  Beginnings 
of  Christianity.  The  Primar>'  Grade  papers  of 
this  series  contain  some  of  the  best  illustrations 
supplied  for  Sunday-school  children.  The  Uni- 
tarians are  among  those  who  do  not  limit  their 
work  to  the  Bible.  One  of  their  most  prized  series 
is  entitled  "  Noble  Lives  and  Noble  Deeds  "  and 
embraces  a  wide  variety  of  subjects.  It  would  be  a 
lengthy  task  to  describe  the  publications  of  each 

"Directors'  Annual  Report  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society,  1892,  p.  20. 


150         Sunday -School  Movements 

denomination,  but  it  should  be  observed  that  the 
Unitarians  rank  among  the  foremost  of  those  who, 
incited  by  a  marked  difference  of  belief,  have  at- 
tempted to  supply  their  children  and  youth  with 
helps  to  religious  study. 

TJniversalist.  The  Rev.  Richard  Eddy  claims 
great  credit  for  the  Universalists  in  the  origin  of 
the  American  Sunday-school.  In  1790,  the  Phila- 
delphia Convention  of  Universalists  adopted  a 
regulation  for  the  institution  of  church  schools  in 
which  children  should  be  instructed  in  the  Bible. 
At  this  time  Dr.  Benjamin  Rush  was  among  the 
avowed  Universalists  in  Philadelphia.  As  a  result 
of  conferences  which  he  held  with  Bishop  White 
of  the  Episcopal  Church,  and  Matthew  Cary  of  the 
Roman  Catholic,  they  united  with  him  ^^  in  a  call 
for  a  meeting  of  the  citizens  of  Philadelphia  for 
the  purpose  of  taking  into  consideration  the  estab- 
lishment of  Sunday-schools  for  that  city.  This  re- 
sulted in  the  organization  of  the  well-known 
"  First-day  or  Sunday-School  Society  "  of  Phila- 
delphia, the  earliest  Sunday-School  Society  in  this 
country.  Also,  in  April,  1791,  Oliver  Wellington 
Lane,  a  school-teacher  in  Boston,  and  a  deacon  of 
the  Universalist  Church,  opened  a  Sunday-school 
in  his  school-room.  This  was  according  to  Raikes' 
plan,  and  there  is  little  doubt  that  it  was  the  first 

"The  Universalist  Origin  of  American  Sunday- 
Schools,  Rev.  Richard  Eddy,  Univ.  Q.,  Oct.,  1882.  p.  453. 


The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work    151 

Sunday-school  on  that  plan  set  up  in  New  Eng- 
land. *'<' 

In  many  other  ways  the  Universalists  have 
shown  their  care  for  children.  Not  believing  in 
the  baptism  of  children,  they  instituted  a  rite  of 
Dedication  for  them.  This  was  probably  started 
as  early  as  1780  by  the  Rev.  Mr.  Murray.  *^  On 
the  second  Sunday  in  June,  1856,  C.  H.  Leonard, 
D.  D.,  then  pastor  of  the  church  at  Chelsea.  ^.lass., 
instituted  "  Children's  Sunday.  "  a  day  for  the 
special  observance  of  this  rite,  and  for  services  par- 
ticularly adapted  to  the  capacity,  needs  and  enjoy- 
ment of  the  children  of  the  Sunday-schools.  The 
service  has  been  annually  observed  in  that  church 
ever  since,  and  was  soon  taken  up  in  other  Uni- 
versalist  churches.  In  1867  the  General  Conven- 
tion held  in  Baltimore  commended  the  observance 
to  all.  At  the  session  held  in  Providence,  in  1868, 
the  following  resolution  was  adopted:  Rcsoh'cd, 
That  while  it  may  be  proper  to  dedicate  children 
on  any  day  of  the  year,  uniformity  of  action  is 
desirable  in  this  a?  in  all  other  matters,  and  we 
recommend  that  the  second  Sunday  in  June,  of 
each  year,  be  named  and  set  apart  as  "  Children's 
Sunday.  "  At  the  session  held  in  Gloucester,  in 
1870,  the  following  was  adopted  among  the  Laws 
of  the  Universalist  Church:    It  shall  be  the  duty 

*■  American  Church  History,  vol.  X.  The  Universal- 
ists, R.  Eddy,  p.  483. 

"  American  Church  History,  vol.  X,  The  Universal- 
ivts,  R.  Eddy,  p.  484. 


152         Sunday-School  Movements 

of  every  Parish  to  set  apart  at  least  one  Sunday  in 
each  year  to  be  denominated  Children's  Sunday — 
in  all  cases  where  practicable  the  second  Sunday  in 
June,  or  as  near  thereto  as  possible,  and  parents 
and  guardians  shall  be  encouraged  and  invited  to 
bring  their  children  to  the  altar  on  that  day  for 
baptism  or  dedication  to  the  service  of  the  Lord. 
"  Children's  Sunday  "  is  now  very  generally  ob- 
served, and  has  been  so  designated  and  used  by 
other  Protestant  Churches,  especially  by  the 
Methodists,  Presbyterians  and  Baptists,  who  find 
it  a  valuable  means  of  connecting  the  children  of 
the  Sunday-school  with  the  Church. 

The  Universalists,  besides  using  the  unde- 
nominational lesson  series,  have  their  own  Sun- 
day-school periodicals,  catechisms  and  other  les- 
son books.  In  many  of  the  states  they  hold  regular 
Sunday-school  conventions,  in  some  states  they 
have  local  Sunday-school  Unions,  and  even  the 
Sunday-school  institute  is  not  untried  by  them. 

General.  On  the  whole  the  denominations  profit 
but  little  by  each  other's  experiences.  In  most  of 
the  denominations  each  separate  school  lives  its 
own  life  with  only  a  chance  knowledge  of  other 
schools,  denominations,  or  Sunday-school  organi- 
zations. Nevertheless,  the  Church  militant  has 
come  to  realize  the  importance  of  training  her 
young  soldiers,  and  in  these  days  of  rapid  com- 
munication it  cannot  be  long  before  the  better 
methods  spread. 


CHAPTER  VII 


THE   BIBLE  STUDY   UNTON 


Origin.  It  is  usual  when  ministers  give  Bible 
lectures,  or  even  Bible  lessons,  for  them  to  follow 
some  plan  of  their  own,  thus  giving  life  and  per- 
sonality to  the  course.  So  the  Rev.  Erastus  Blakes- 
lee  prepared  his  own  lessons  when  he  undertook 
to  lead  a  young  people's  week  day  Bible  class  in 
the  church  of  which  he  was  pastor  in  Spencer, 
Massachusetts.  The  work  began  in  1888  and  re- 
sulted in  the  preparation  of  some  lessons  which 
proved  eminently  successful.  Early  in  1890  Mr. 
Blakeslee  attempted  to  apply  his  methods  to  the 
International  Sunday-School  Lessons,  publishing 
leaflets  on  them  for  the  months  of  April  and  May.  ^ 
But  this  combination  was  impossible.  The  reason 
can  be  easily  seen  by  noting  Mr.  Blakeslee's  funda- 
mental theories. 

The  Fundamental  Theories.  He  considers  first 
that  the  aim  of  Sunday-schools  should  be  to  in- 
struct the  children  and  youth  of  our  congregations 
in  the  facts,  teachings  and  practical  truths  of  the 
Bible.    Thus  far  the  International  Sunday-school 

'  Report  of  Meeting  for  the  Organization  of  Bible 
Study  Union,  pp.  5,  6. 

153 


154         Sunday-School  Movements 

Lesson  Committee  might  agree  with  him.  His 
second  theory  is  that  a  comprehensive  general  ac- 
quaintance with  the  Bible  as  a  whole,  especially 
in  its  relation  to  the  person  and  work  of  Christ, 
should  precede  the  minute  and  thorough  study  of 
its  individual  parts.  Third,  that  after  this  general 
study  has  been  completed,  it  should  be  followed  by 
the  most  exhaustive  possible  study  of  individual 
books  or  subjects.  Fourth,  that  as  the  doctrine  of 
redemption  is  the  principal  theme  in  the  Scrip- 
tures, the  Bible  should  be  studied  first  with  refer- 
ence to  this  fact ;  and  therefore  our  Sunday-school 
study  as  a  system  should  begin  with  the  study  of 
the  Life  of  Christ,  and  this  not  from  any  one 
Gospel,  but  from  them  all  and  as  a  whole.  This 
should  be  followed  by  a  similarly  comprehensive 
study  of  the  results  of  His  work,  as  given  in  the 
rest  of  the  New  Testament.  Then  should  come 
the  Old  Testament  with  special  reference  to  the 
origin  and  progress  of  the  Messianic  idea.  Fifth, 
that  this  comprehensive  study  of  the  whole  Bible 
should  be  carried  through  a  graded  series  of  les- 
sons which  should  present  to  each  grade  such  facts 
and  truths  as  are  suited  to  it,  so  that  the  child 
should  go  through  the  Bible  once  in  four  or  five 
years,  each  time  in  a  different  grade.  Sixth,  that 
these  graded  courses  of  study  should  be  looked 
upon  as  a  definite  and  characteristic  portion  of 
Sunday-school  Bible  study;  that  they  should  be 
so  arranged  that  if  begun  in  childhood  they  will 
be  completed  at  maturity,  or  if  taken  up  later,  will 


The  Bible  Study  Union  155 

be  completed  in  from  four  to  eight  years ;  and  that 
their  completion  should  mark  the  time  of  gradua- 
tion from  the  Sunday-school  into  the  Bible  class, 
properly  so  called.  Seventh,  that  it  should  be  al- 
ways kept  in  mind  that  these  Comprehensive  Out- 
line Studies  are  intended  to  provide  a  broad  and 
firm  foundation  for  subsequent  minute  and  ex- 
haustive study.  ' 

Early  Steps.  It  is  clear  that  the  graded  school 
is  essential  to  the  carrying  out  of  most  of  these 
ideas.  This  alone  so  conflicted  with  the  principle 
of  uniformity  which  underlies  the  International 
Lesson  system  as  to  make  any  combination  im- 
possible. Accordingly,  Mr.  Blakeslee.  not  wiUing 
to  withdraw  from  what  seemed  to  him  a  much 
needed  work,  began  the  preparation  of  an  inde- 
pendent course  of  lessons.  In  October,  1890,  he 
published  an  abstract  of  a  series  of  lessons  on  The 
Life  of  Christ,  designed  for  treatment  by  his 
methods.  The  favor  with  which  this  outline  was 
received  led  to  the  publication  of  lessons  based 
upon  it,  in  January,  189 1.  In  July  of  the  same 
year  The  Bible  Study  Publishing  Company  in  Bos- 
ton began  the  issue  of  Sunday-school  lessons,' 
and  the  plan  was  started  of  forming  a  Union  to 
prepare  and  introduce  a  system  of  graded  Bible 
study.  The  first  step  was  to  issue  a  circular  dated 

*  An   Advance    Step   in    Sunday-School   Bible    Study. 
Oct..   1891 

'  Report  of  the  Meeting  for  Organization,  pp.  5,  6, 


I 


156  Sunday-School  Movements 

September  24,  1891,  setting  forth  a  basis  of  organi- 
zation. The  names  of  a  number  of  persons  joining 
the  Union  on  that  basis  were  pubHshed  in  con- 
nection with  the  lessons.  In  1892  a  course  of 
lessons  on  The  ApostoHc  Church  was  published. 

Organization.  In  April,  1892,  a  conference  of 
certain  gentlemen  connected  with  the  Union  was 

held  in  Boston.  This  conference  issued  a  minute 
(see  appendix  V), which  was  unanimously  adopted 
and  which  was  made  the  basis  of  agreement  for 
the  formation  of  The  Bible  Study  Union.  Noth- 
ing further,  however,  was  done  in  the  line  of  or- 
ganization till  the  fall  of  1893  when  a  meeting  of 
The  Bible  Study  Union  was  held  at  the  Collegiate 
Reformed  (Dutch)  Church,  Fifth  Avenue,  corner 
Forty-eighth  Street,  New  York  City,  on  Novem- 
ber twenty-third,  for  the  purpose  of  making  a 
permanent  organization.*  The  call  to  this  meeting 
was  signed  by  over  four  hundred  persons,  in- 
cluding such  as  Dr.  George  P.  Fisher,  Dr.  Charles 
F.  Thwing  and  Dr.  WilHam  J.  Tucker,  who  be- 
came the  original  members  of  the  Union.  At  the 
meeting  the  constitution  (see  appendix  VI)  was 
formed  and  the  officers  elected,  Rev.  David  H. 
Greer,  D.D.,  rector  of  St.  Bartholomew's  Church, 
New  York  City,  being  made  president. 

Business  Methods.  The  methods  of  working  in 
this  Union  have  been  largely  the  result  of  cir- 
cumstances. Two  important  standing  committees 
exist — the  Executive  and  the  Lesson  Committee. 

*  Report  of  the  Meeting  for  the  Organization,  pp.  yi- 


The  Bible  Study  Union  157 

The  latter,  besides  seven  elected  members,  has 
two  "  office  editors  "  from  the  Executive,  a  num- 
ber of  "  Special  Editors  "  who  do  perhaps  most 
of  the  course  and  lesson  planning,  and  two  "  De- 
nominational Editors  "  who  are  Episcopal  min- 
isters and  adapt  a  set  of  the  lessons  to  the  Epis- 
copal Church  Year  and  other  denominational  re- 
quirements. This  committee  does  not  meet  at 
appointed  times,  but  on  call ;  and  since  most  of  the 
members  are  business  men  from  different  cities,  it 
is  called  as  seldom  as  possible.  The  leading  mem- 
bers, however,  meet  frequently  in  New  York. 
They  then  send  accounts  of  their  work  to  the  other 
members  whose  advice  is  asked.  This  method 
is  thought  to  give  more  time  for  developing  plans. 

The  Original  Lesson  System.  The  Lesson  Com- 
mittee held  its  first  meeting  in  Boston,  February 
27,  1894.^  It  was  there  decided  that  the  system 
of  study  should  be  known  as  "  The  Bible  Study 
Union  Graded  Lesson  System,  "  or  more  briefly, 
"  The  Union  Graded  Lessons.  "  Since  the  out- 
line of  courses  then  planned  still  underlies  the 
more  complicated  recent  developments,  it  will  be 
well  to  consider  it  carefully. 

The  system  was  divided  into  four  scries :  First, 
for  Children,  second.  Historical,  third.  Doctrinal, 
and  fourth,  Bible  Class.  Each  of  the  first  three  of 
these  series  was  again  divided  into  three  courses, 
each  course  covering  one  year.       These  courses 

•  Statement  of  the  Lesson  Committee  of  The  BiWe 
Study  Union,  1894,  pp.  1-4- 


158  Sunday-School  Movements 

were  to  be  published  in  different  grades.  The 
courses  in  the  Children's  Series  were  to  be  in 
two  grades:  Primary  Leaflets  with  Kindergarten 
Cards  for  the  youngest  children,  and  a  simple 
Quarterly  for  those  who  are  beginning  to  read  and 
write.  The  courses  in  the  Historical  series  were 
also  to  be  in  two  grades:  Intermediate,  for  the 
younger  classes  in  the  main  body  of  the  Sunday- 
school,  and  Progressive  for  those  wHo  are  older. 
The  courses  in  the  Doctrinal  Series  were  to  be  in 
the  Senior  grade,  for  adults.  The  Bible  Class 
Series  has  an  indefinite  number  of  courses  all  of 
a  Bible  Class  grade. 

The  subjects  of  the  courses  were  to  be  as  fol- 
lows: In  the  Children's  Series,  one  course  on  the 
Gospels,  one  on  the  rest  of  the  New  Testament, 
and  one  on  the  Old  Testament;  treated  to  give 
the  most  important  stories,  facts  and  truths  of  the 
Bible.  In  the  Historical  Series,  one  on  the  Gos- 
pels, one  on  the  Apostolic  Church,  and  one  on  the 
Old  Testament;  treated  to  give  a  comprehensive 
and  connected  view  in  outhne  of  the  historical  ma- 
terial of  the  Bible.  In  the  Doctrinal  Series,  one 
on  the  Teachings  of  Our  Lord,  one  on  the  Teach- 
ings of  the  Apostles,  and  one  on  the  Teachings  of 
the  Old  Testament,  especially  on  Messianic  proph- 
ecy. In  the  Bible  Class  Series,  the  courses  would 
be  on  the  Gospels,  the  Epistles,  the  Prophets,  other 
books  of  Scripture,  Doctrines  and  Duties,  Biblical 
Theolog>',  the  Ethics  of  the  Bible,  the  Poetry  of  the 
Bible,  and  other  such  subjects. 


The  Bible  Study  Union  159 

The  idea  seems  to  have  been  that  a  child  enter- 
ing the  kindergarten  or  infant  class  at  the  age  of 
five  would  spend  about  six  years  in  the  Child's 
department,  taking  all  three  courses  first  in  the 
lowest  grade  and  then  again  in  the  next  grade. 
This  would  bring  him  to  the  Historical  Series  at 
about  eleven  or  twelve  years  of  age.  In  the  same 
way  he  would  spend  about  six  years  in  this  depart- 
ment, which  would  form  the  main  body  of  the 
Sunday-school ;  and  enter  the  Senior  grade  for  the 
Doctrinal  Series  at  about  seventeen  or  eighteen. 
This  Series  being  in  only  one  grade,  he  would 
reach  the  Bible  class  at  twenty  or  twenty-one.  It 
will  be  seen  that  not  only  is  adaptation  to  each 
stage  of  the  child's  development  possible  by  this 
system,  but  that  any  school  using  these  courses 
can  be  studying  in  all  its  departments  a  given  por- 
tion of  Scripture,  as,  for  instance  the  Gospels ;  but 
each  department  would  be  studying  according  to 
its  own  ability  and  needs. 

Other  courses  were  to  be  issued  as  might  from 
time  to  time  seem  best.  All  the  courses  are  to 
be  revised  as  often  as  may  be  necessary  to  embody 
in  them  the  results  of  scholarship  and  experience, 
so  that  they  may  become  text-books  for  permanent 
use.  Like  ordinary  school  books,  the  lessons  are 
undated ;  though,  like  most  Sunday-school  books, 
they  may  be  had  in  the  form  of  small  periodicals. 
Each  course  is  to  be  accompanied  by  "  The  Bible 
Study  Manual, "  which  will  give  such  help  as 
teachers  need. 


i6o         Sunday-School  Movements 

The  Present  Lesson  System.  Since  the  original 
outline  of  courses  was  planned,  in  1894,  a  number 
of  changes  have  taken  place.  Without  tracing  the 
development,  a  brief  description  of  the  present 
system  may  serve  to  show  the  results  of  the  last 
six  years'  growth.  The  term  "  series  "  is  now 
applied  not  to  the  four  largest  divisions  of  grad- 
ing, but  to  subject-matter.  ^  There  are  six  series, 
three  biographical,  namely,  The  Life  of  Christ 
series,  the  Peter,  Paul  and  John  series,  and  the 
Great  Men  of  Israel  series ;  and  three  historical, 
namely,  the  Gospel  History  series,  the  History  of 
the  Apostolic  Church  series,  and  the  Outline  of 
Old  Testament  History  series.  Each  of  these 
series  is  in  seven  grades,  w^ith  Helper  and  Manual 
for  Teachers.  A  child  in  Sunday-school  is  not 
expected  to  take  all  the  six  series  of  a  grade  before 
passing  to  the  next  grade.  The  course  of  a  single 
child  might  be  something  as  follows: 


Primary 
Depart- 
ment. 


The 

Main 
School. 


And  so 


First  Grade 
Primary  cards 


Second   Grade 

Primary 

Monthly 


Third  Grade 

Child's 

Monthly 


Fourth  Grade 
Junior    Quar- 
terly 


Fifth  Grade 

Intermediate 

Quarterly 


on  with  the  oth 


Gospel  Stories  j 

Stories  about  Apostles  (  Biographical 

Old  Testament  Heroes ) 
A  Year  with  Jesus         1 


A  Year  with  the  Apos-    I  Historical 

ties  [Series. 

Old  Testament  Stories  J 


Life  of  Christ 
Three  Great  Apostles 
Great  Men  of  Israel 

Gospel  History  " 

History  Apostolic  ! 

Church 
OldTes^tament  History 


i  Biographical 
Series.  , 


Historical 

|-    Series. 


er  Quarterlies. 


•Graded  Lessons,  1899,  p.  4  (no  name). 


The  Bible  Study  Union  i6i 

This  plan  would  keep  a  child  six  years  in  the 
Primary  Department : — two  years  in  the  first 
grade  or  infant  class,  two  years  in  the  second 
grade,  and  two  in  the  third  grade.  Then  he  would 
pass  to  the  Main  School,  and  so  on. 

Other  Characteristics.  Perhaps  the  most  laud- 
able characteristic  of  this  Union  is  its  success  in 
obtaining  and  embodying  the  results  of  the  latest 
and  best  scholarship  in  its  line.  An  illustration 
of  this  was  the  revision  in  1893  ^  of  the  lessons  on 
the  Life  of  Christ,  in  order  to  base  them  upon  more 
recent  investigation.  *  An  Analytical  Outline  of 
the  Life  of  Christ  ^  was  carefully  prepared  by 
William  Arnold  Stevens,  D.  D.,  Professor  of  New 
Testament  Interpretation  in  the  Rochester  The- 
ological Seminary,  and  Ernest  De  Witt  Burton, 
Professor  of  New  Testament  Interpretation  in  the 
University  of  Chicago.  This  outline  is  in  reality 
an  analysis  of  the  steps  of  progress  in  the  Life  of 
Christ,  and  is  divided  into  appropriate  parts, 
chapters  and  sections.  It  includes  the  entire  ma- 
terial of  the  Four  Gospels.  Upon  this  work  are 
based  all  the  Gospel  courses  of  the  Bible  Study 
Union,  from  those  suited  to  the  infant  class  to 
those  worthy  of  Bible  classes  and  college  students. 

'  The  Gospel  History  of  Jesus  Christ,  Progressive 
Grade,  Preface. 

'  The  Bible  Study  Manual,  Life  of  Christ  Series,  Ap- 
pendix, p.  i.     Also  Adaptation  versus  Uniformity,  p.  14. 

°  An  Outline  Handbook  of  the  Life  of  Christ,  Stevens 
&  Burton,  Second  Edition,  Revised,  pp.  6-18. 


iK 


l62  Sunday-School  Movements 

And  not  only  is  the  subject  matter  carefully 
treated  but  child  study  is  also  considered.  Miss 
Lucy  Wheelock,  instructor  in  Kindergarten 
Methods,  ChauncyHall  School,  Boston,  ;Massa- 
chusetts,  has  prepared  most  interesting  sets  of 
Bible  Stories  "  adapted  especially  for  the  Httle 
ones  and  illustrated  with  sewing  or  drawing  cards 
according  to  the  grade. 

The  sewing  card  is  the  infant  class  form  of 
home  work,  and  the  home  work  feature  runs 
through  all  the  grades.  One  means  of  securing 
work  is  the  fact  that  the  lesson  does  not  consist  of 
a  dozen  or  so  verses  that  may  be  skimmed  over 
after  reaching  school.  The  lesson  is  a  subject, 
requiring  each  student,  above  the  grades  where 
the  teacher  tells  the  story,  to  turn  to  the  different 
parts  of  the  Bible  where  the  given  event  or  truth 
may  be  treated.  The  lesson  is  built  up  by  each 
member  of  the  class,  and  home  written  work 
shows  the  development  of  the  topic. 

One  other  trait  seems  especially  worthy  of  men- 
tion, namely,  the  attitudes  towards  different  re- 
ligious denominations.  The  Union  is  for  Bible 
study.  How  should  it  treat  denominational 
peculiarities?  Any  one  set  of  lessons  appeals  as 
little  to  people  of  different  beliefs  as  to  people  of 
different  ages.  The  Union,  true  to  its  theory  of 
adaptation,  agrees  to  differ,  and  welcomes  the  edit- 

'"See  Children's  Courses  of  The  Bible  Study  Union, 
as  "  A  Year  with  Jesus  Primary  Lessons  and  Cards, 
Primary'  Monthly,  Child's  Quarterly. 


The  Bible  Study  Union  163 

ing  of  its  series  with  denominational  modifications. 
It  publishes  already  not  only  special  Qiristmas, 
Easter,  Missionary,  and  Temperance  Lessons, 
and  examination  papers,  but  even  a  Protestant 
Epicopal  Church  Edition  of  its  different  courses, 
prepared  and  edited  by  the  Rev.  D.  H.  Greer  and 
the  Rev.  Geo.  H.  McGrew.  Perhaps  it  is  largely 
due  to  this  breadth  of  feeling  that  the  lessons  so 
rapidly  spread  among  the  different  denominations 
and  out  to  the  missionary  fields  of  Turkey,  Persia, 
India,  Burma,  China,  Japan  and  Africa. 


CHAPTER  VIII 

MISCELLANEOUS 

Sunday-school  Books  and  Periodicals.  Beside 
the  great  national  Sunday-school  movements  al- 
ready described,  there  have  been  many  smaller, 
and  many  collateral  movements.  The  smaller  ones 
have  been  put  aside  as  too  numerous  to  be  dis- 
cussed here,  though  many  of  them  are  most  ex- 
cellent. The  collateral  movements  have  been  cut 
off  somewhat  arbitrarily.  For  instance,  the  sub- 
ject of  Sunday-school  libraries  and  Sunday-school 
periodicals  has  been  hardly  more  than  touched 
upon,  and  that  only  when  the  discussion  of  other 
subjects  has  made  it  seem  necessary.  Yet  not  only 
has  the  American  Sunday-School  Union  done  a 
great  work  in  introducing  and  building  up  the 
Sunday-school  library,  but  other  organizations  and 
other  forces  have  affected  this  movement.  The 
subject  could  fill  more  than  one  volume.  As  early 
as  1850  nearly  all  the  larger  denominations  had 
publishing  houses  and  by  1869  thirty-six  houses 
Avere  engaged  in  publishing  books  for  Sunday- 
schools,  employing  a  capital  of  over  five  million 
dollars.^     In  the  early  seventies  a  number  of  pub- 

*  The  Sunday-School  Library,  A.  E.  Dunning,  1883, 
pp.  19-27. 

164 


Miscellaneous  165 

lishers  offered  premiums,  in  some  instances  as  high 
as  $1,000,  for  the  best  manuscripts  without  regard 
to  subject.  Prizes  were  also  offered  for  the  best 
books  on  particular  subjects.  Under  such  condi- 
tions the  writing  of  Sunday-school  books  soon  be- 
came a  profession,  and  great  quantities  of  more  or 
less  profitable  books  for  children  were  produced. 

Of  recent  years  the  condition  of  Sunday-school 
libraries  has  provoked  considerable  comment. 
Some  Sunday-schools  admit  all  kinds  of  secular 
literature,  with  more  or  less  effort  to  have  it 
"  standard,"  while  others  admit  only  Bible  helps. 
Comparatively  few  Sunday-schools  now  have 
libraries  composed  of  religious  stories  written  for 
the  purpose.  In  fact  the  object  of  the  Sunday- 
school  library  seems  to  have  changed,  if  indeed 
Sunday-school  workers  are  at  all  clear  or  agreed 
as  to  what  the  object  is. 

Besides  Sunday-school  library  books,  there  are 
innumerable  Sunday-school  periodicals,  sometimes 
subscribed  to  in  large  numbers  by  entire  schools, 
and  sometime  singly  by  individuals  or  families. 
These  are  usually  especially  attractive  to  children 
on  account  of  their  illustrations.  Among  those 
of  interest  to  older  Sunday-school  workers,  the 
Sunday-School  Times  and  the  International 
Evangel  lead.  Nearly  every  State  in  the  Union 
has  a  State  Sunday-school  paper  devoted  exclu- 
sively to  Sunday-school  work.  In  some  cases 
these  State  papers  are  special  editions  of  the 
Evangel.     There  are  also  a  great  variety  of  de- 


1 66  Sunday-School  Movements 

nominational  periodicals  for  children  and  young 
people.  The  United  States  Bureau  of  Education  ^ 
mentions  over  seventy  in  its  "  partial  list."  In 
addition  to  all  these  there  are  the  publications  of 
the  American  Sunday-school  Union,  of  smaller 
organizations,  and  of  private  parties.  Sunday- 
school  literature  has  unmistakably  become  a  force 
whose  moulding  influence  should  not  be  left  to 
chance.  The  subject  deserves  separate  and  careful 
investigation,  and  the  serious  attention  of  educa- 
tors. 

The  International  Bible  Reading  Asaociation. 

Another  line  of  work  that  is  more  or  less  con- 
nected with  the  Sunday-school,  is  home  studying 
or  reading  of  the  Bible  apart  from  the  Sunday- 
school  lesson.  A  number  of  organizations  seek  to 
encourage  and  direct  such  work.  Of  these  the 
International  Bible  Reading  Association  is  in 
closest  touch  with  the  Sunday-school.  It  was  or- 
ganized in  England  in  1882,  but  has  branches  in 
every  part  of  the  world. ^  Its  object  is  to  promote 
the  daily  study  of  the  Bible  by  Sunday-school 
teachers,  scholars,  and  others,  combining  with 
such  study,  preparation  for  the  International  Sun- 
day-School Lesson.  Each  day's  reading  consists 
of  about  ten  verses  having  some  relation  to  the 
lesson  for  the  following  Sunday.    Circular  letters 

'  Report  of  the  United  States  Commissioner  of  Educa- 
tion. 1896-97,  p.  422. 
» The  Study,  April,  1885,  p.  64. 


Miscellaneous  167 

containing  hints  on  the  daily  readings  are  sent 
each  quarter. 

The  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature, 

The  American  Institute  of  Sacred  Literature  is 
not    intended    as    a    Sunday-school    movement, 
though  its  Outline  Club  Course  is  used  in  some 
Sunday-school  classes.    The  courses  of  the  Insti- 
tute are  not  divided  on  the  seven-day  basis,  but  on 
the  basis  of  months.    The  aim  of  the  organization 
is  to  bring  into  closer  cooperation  those  who  de- 
sire to  promote  the  study  of  the  Bible  from  the 
historical  standpoint  and  the  study  of  other  sacred 
literature   as   related   to   it;    to   induce   properly 
qualified  persons  to  undertake  this  work ;    and  to 
extend   an   acquaintance   with    right   methods   of 
Bible  study  and  their  results.     The  work  of  the 
Institute  is  controlled  and  directed  by  a  body  of 
representative  biblical  teachers  called  the  Council 
of  Seventy,  of  whom  Dr.  John  Henry  Barrows  is 
President,  and  Dr.  William  R.  Harper,  Principal. 
The  direct  management  is  intrusted  to  a  Senate 
composed  of  the  officers  of  the  Council.    The  work 
of  the  Council,  or  in  other  words  of  the  Institute, 
may  be  described  under  five  heads,  as  follows:    i. 
Correspondence  Courses  in  Hebrew,  New  Testa- 
ment Greek,  and  the  English  Bible.     2.  Reading 
Courses,  including   (i)   The  Outline  Bible  Club 
Course    for    Christian    Organizations,    (2)    The 
Bible     Student's     Reading     Guild.     3.  Summer 
Scliools  held  independently  or  in  connection  with 
Institutes  and  Assemblies.    4.  Lectures  in  Exten- 


1 68  Sunday-School  Movements 

sion  courses,  at  Colleges  and  Local  "  Institutes," 
at  Conventions,  and  under  independent  auspices. 
5.  Examinations  (i)  in  Hebrew,  New  Testament 
Greek,  and  the  English  Bible,  open  to  College  Stu- 
dents, (2)  upon  the  International  Sunday-School 
Lessons,  open  to  every  one. 

The  American  Society  of  Religious  Education. 
A  third  organization  promoting  Bible  Study,  is 
the  American  Society  of  Religious  Education. 
This  Society  was  started  in  Indiana,  in  1889,  but 
reorganized  in  1894,  and  its  headquarters  removed 
to  Washington.  Its  object  is  "  to  awaken  in- 
creased interest  in  the  subject  of  religious  educa- 
tion; to  engage  scholars  in  the  study  of  man's 
spiritual  nature ;  to  devise  improved  methods  of 
Bible  study  and  teaching  for  the  home,  the  Sun- 
day-school, the  public  school,  and  the  college ;  to 
collect  and  preserve  at  the  National  Capitol,  in- 
formation of  all  systems  of  religious  instruction." 
The  first*  work  undertaken  was  the  training  of 
Sunday-school  teachers.  For  the  purpose  a  two 
years'  course  of  study  was  prepared,  to  be  be- 
gun at  any  time  and  in  any  place,  by  individuals 
or  classes.  By  the  first  of  January,  1896,  nearly 
ten  thousand  ^  teachers  had  pursued  the  course 
in  whole  or  in  part,  and  on  that  day  the  Sunday 
Teachers'  Normal  College  was  organized,  adopt- 

*  Journal  of  Religious  Education.  Dec,  1897,  p.  10. 
Also  Normal  Lesson  Manuals,  etc. 

°  American  Society  of  Religious  Education,  Annual 
for  1896,  p.  10. 


Miscellaneous  169 

ing  the  same  course  of  study,  but  providing  some 
new  features.  The  Society  has  eight  other  depart- 
ments, among  which  are  the  Bible  Readers'  Union, 
Home  Child  Culture,  Conventions,  the  Bible  in 
College,  and  Sunday-School  Extension.  The  af- 
fairs of  the  Society  are  managed  by  a  board  of 
twenty-one  regents,  all  residents  of  Washington, 
assisted  by  councillors,  or  educators  from  the  dif- 
ferent states.  There  is  also  a  board  of  trustees 
to  hold  property  and  administer  bequests.  Al- 
though this  work  appears  to  have  begun  with  the 
idea  of  training  Sunday-school  teachers,  it  has 
presented  so  little  that  was  new  to  Sunday-school 
work,  and  has  undertaken  so  many  other  branches 
of  religious  enterprise,  especially  those  clustering 
around  the  daily  reading  of  the  Bible,  that  a  de- 
tailed description  o-  it  hardly  seems  in  place  here. 

The  Foreign  Sunday-School  Association.  Per- 
haps the  most  interesting  work  omitted  as  col- 
lateral is  that  of  the  Foreign  Sunday-School  As- 
sociation. It  would  be  given  a  separate  chapter 
except  that,  while  its  headquarters  are  in  Amer- 
ica, its  work  does  not  appreciably  influence  the 
American  Sunday-school  system.  Albert  Wood- 
ruff, the  founder  of  the  Association,  was  born  in 
the  little  town  of  Sardinsfield,  Massachusetts, 
among  the  Berkshire  Hills,  in  1807.*  He  started 
in  business  early,  but  continued  his  studies  with 
the  hope  of  entering  college.    At  the  age  of  twenty 

•  Sunday-Schools  Abroad,  article  reprinted  from  The 
Independent,  n.  n.,  n.  d.,  p.  i. 


lyo         Sunday-School  Movements 

he  gave  up  his  college  hopes  and  went  to  New 
York,  where  he  entered  the  fish  and  salt  business 
in  partnership  with  his  brother.  In  1844  he  re- 
moved to  Brooklyn  where  he  was  one  of  the  orig- 
inal members  who  organized  the  Church  of  the 
Pilgrims,  and  was  the  first  superintendent  of  its 
Sunday-school. 

In  1856,  while  enjoying  a  holiday  trip  abroad, 
Mr.  Woodruff  was  stirred  by  the  prevalent  dese- 
cration of  Sunday,  particularly  in  Paris.  Being 
convinced  that  the  best  hope  of  the  evangelization 
of  the  world  was  in  voluntary  lay  effort,  it  now 
occurred  to  him  that  in  Europe  the  Sabbath  could 
be  best  redeemed  to  Christian  uses  by  the  estab- 
lishment of  Sunday-schools.  A  few  Sunday- 
schools  already  existed  in  Paris  and  on  other 
parts  of  the  Continent,  but  their  influence  upon 
European  religious  life  was  very  slight.  Mr. 
Woodruff  began  by  improving  the  condition  of  the 
Sunday-schools  in  Paris.  A  committee  was  then 
formed  under  the  Rev.  H.  Paumier  for  the  pro- 
motion of  similar  work  throughout  France.  The 
Rev.  J.  P.  Cook  became  the  first  Sunday-school 
missionary  on  the  Continent,  and  Switzerland  as 
well  as  Southern  France,  showed  the  results  of  his 
labor.  The  success  of  this  work  so  impressed  i\Ir. 
Woodruff  with  its  importance,  that  in  i860  he 
withdrew  from  active  business  and  devoted  the 
rest  of  his  life  to  its  advancement. 

The   Association   was   incorporated   in    1878.'' 

'  Cyclopaedia  of  Biblical  Literature,  1881,  vol.  X,  p.  25. 


Miscellaneous  171 

The  work  is  one  of  love,  no  officer  or  member  of 
the  society  receiving  any  salary.  It  is  divided 
among  four  committees  of  correspondence,  each 
committee  taking  the  name  of  the  country-  in  which 
originally  most  ^  of  its  schools  existed.  The  work 
now  reaches  far  beyond  the  boundaries  of  Europe. 
The  method  of  work  is  simple.  The  address  of 
any  reliable  Christian  who  is  engaged,  or  can  be 
induced  to  engage,  in  Sunday-school  work,  is  se- 
cured from  any  trustworthy  source.  A  printed 
circular  in  a  language  likely  to  be  understood,  is 
mailed,  describing  a  simple  method  of  organizing 
and  conducting  a  Sunday-school.  With  this  is 
sent  a  letter  of  "  warm  Christian  sympathy,  inquir- 
ing the  condition  and  prospects  of  Sunday-school 
work  in  his  vicinity."  This  correspondence  is  con- 
tinued as  long  as  help  is  needed,  and  sometimes 
results  in  warm  friendships.  Nor  is  advice  the 
only  kind  of  aid  given.  Many  of  these  schools  are 
in  need  of  such  simple  aids  as  Bibles,  hymn-books, 
and  suitable  religious  reading  for  children.  These 
the  Association  helps  them  to  obtain.  It  has 
started  illustrated  papers  for  children  in  a  number 
of  languages;  such  a  paper  begun  in  Germany 
having  now  not  only  reached  self-support,  but  be- 
come a  source  of  revenue  for  the  German  Sunday- 
school  committee  in  Berlin.  The  Association  has 
also  translated  a  number  of  Sunday-school  library 
books  into  from  one  to  eighteen  languages  each, 
and  distributed  many  thousands  of  the  volumes. 

•  See  Annual  Reports. 


172        Sunday-School  Movements 

These  books  and  papers  are  highly  valued  aids, 
since  they  help  to  attract  the  children  into  the 
schools,  and  to  secure  their  regularity.  From  both 
China  and  Madagascar,  tidings  have  come  of  con- 
versions ^  attributed  to  the  reading  of  these  books. 
It  may  be  interesting  to  note  that  the  first  trans- 
lated, and  the  most  widely  used  is  Christie's  Old 
Organ,  or  "  Home,  Sweet  Home,"  by  Mrs.  Wal- 
ton, a  pathetic  little  story  of  the  conversion  and 
hardships  of  a  poor  homeless  boy. 

Since  the  death  of  Mr.  Albert  Woodruff,  some 
years  ago,  his  son,  the  Rev.  Henry  Collins  Wood- 
ruff has  served  as  President  of  the  Foreign  Sun- 
day-school Association.  The  organization  ener- 
getically continues  its  work,  but  does  not  present 
statistical  reports,  since  it  does  not  aim  to  keep 
Sunday-schools  under  its  control.  It  has  not  been 
distracted  by  the  usual  pride  in  organization  and 
numbers,  but  still  looks  away  from  itself  to  the 
needs  of  others. 

•  Report  of  the  8th  International  Sunday-School  Con- 
vention, '96,  p.  313. 


CHAPTER  IX 

CONCLUSION 

Parti 

A  century  ago  it  was  the  function  of  the  Sun- 
day-school to  teach  reading  and  morahty.  A  large 
proportion  of  the  children  of  that  day  had  no  in- 
tellectual training  apart  from  that  given  in  the 
Sunday-school.  !Most  of  those  who  had  other  edu- 
cational opportunities  considered  themselves  above 
joining  with  their  less  fortunate  neighbors,  ex- 
cept in  the  more  formal  church  services.  The 
Sunday-school  was  a  sort  of  mission  school  among 
the  illiterate.  To-day  the  scene  is  changed.  The 
American  child  is  expected  to  read  from  the  time 
he  is  eight,  or  at  most  nine,  years  of  age.  The 
boards  and  teachers  of  the  secular  schools  discuss 
with  great  earnestness  the  best  methods  for  pro- 
moting morality  and  virtue,  and  those  who  are 
obliged  to  leave  school  at  an  early  age  are  pro- 
vided for  by  clubs,  evening  schools  and  extension 
lectures.  The  Sunday-schools  are  attended  by  rich 
and  poor  alike,  by  the  student  preparing  for  col- 
lege as  well  as  by  the  child  compelled  to  work  as 
early  as  the  law  permits.  What  now  is  the  object 
of  the  Sunday-school?  Is  it  time  for  it  to  be 
abolished,  or  has  it  still  in  this  age  of  intensity 
1/3 


174         Sunday-School  Movements 

and  struggle  a  mission  worthy  of  the  expendi- 
ture of  money,  thought  and  energy  necessary  for 
its  Hfe  and  growth  ? 

Since  general  learning  and  morality  are  being 
more  properly  and  thoroughly  provided  for  in  the 
secular  school  system,  it  seems  evident  that  the  fu- 
ture work  of  the  Sunday-school  is  not  to  be  in  that 
line.  Let  us  be  firm  in  this  decision.  Neverthe- 
less, there  is  a  need  for  which,  as  yet,  no  other 
adequate  provision  has  been  made.  It  is  the  spir- 
itual. Two  other  means  are  suggested,  but  let  us 
consider  to  what  extent  they  are  effective. 

One  is  the  day-school.  Many  educators  hold 
that  school  work  should  not  only  give  opportunity 
for  strong  moral  training,  but  also  for  the  highest 
spiritual  development.  The  teacher,  with  unsec- 
tarian,  spiritual  insight,  should  see  the  Divine 
Hand  through  science,  and  history,  and  economics, 
and  should  constantly,  though  unobtrusively,  point 
the  child  upward.  In  addition  to  this,  which  could 
be  made  a  wonderful  force,  the  more  spiritual  and 
least  controverted  parts  of  the  Bible  could  be  read 
and  taught,  and  short  devotional  exercises  could 
be  daily  held ;  exercises  carefully  planned  to  lead 
the  child  to  the  Deity  without  introducing  ques- 
tioned doctrines. 

Such  schools,  as  a  matter  of  fact,  exist.  That 
is,  they  exist  so  far  as  any  ideals  can  be  expected 
to  be  actually  realized.  Why  not  increase  their 
number,  leave  minor  doctrinal  teaching  to  the  par- 
ents and  homes,  and  so  settle  the  entire  question? 


Conclusion  175 

Because  such  a  compromise,  desirable  as  it  may  be 
from  some  points  of  view,  in  reality  satisfies  very 
few.  The  religious  enthusiasts  with  good  reason 
object  to  the  child  having  excellent  specialists  in 
every  other  subject  and  in  this  most  vital  matter 
only  secular  teachers.  Let  the  school  principal  be 
a  minister  and  the  conditions  might  be  better  bal- 
anced. On  the  other  hand,  many  do  not  wish  any 
spiritual  influences  mixed  with  the  compulsory  in- 
tellectual schooling.  Again,  from  the  child-study 
point  of  view,  the  child,  like  the  race,  must  ordi- 
narily pass  through  more  elementary  stages  of  spir- 
itual growth.  The  small  boy  who,  in  his  troubles, 
looks  up  at  night  to  the  deep  and  starry  firmament 
and  wonders  about  the  Being  he  dimly  pictures 
beyond,  is  fed  by  the  more  concrete,  imaginative 
and  symbolical  stories  which  attach  themselves  to 
specific  creeds.  In  the  school,  nature-study  comes 
before  science,  and  distinct  branches  of  science 
before  philosophy.  So  in  the  spiritual  world,  the 
child  should  have  his  concrete  creed  and  stories 
before  he  can  expand  to  a  vital  conception  of  the 
all-pervading  God. 

In  this  connection  it  would  be  well  to  consider 
the  harm  that  may  be  done^  and  is  done  in  some 
schools,  by  teaching  children  Bible  stories  from  too 
philosophical  a  point  of  view.  Bible  stories  admit 
of  many  interpretations.  Even  adult  students  dif- 
fer in  their  attitudes  towards  them,  some  leaning 
towards  poetical  and  allegorical  interpretations, 
and  others   seeking  scientific  and  historical  ex- 


176  Sunday-School  Movements 

planations.  Be  ready  to  give  the  child  all  the  ex- 
planations he  wants  ;  but  remember  that  his  imag- 
ination is  more  ready  than  his  reason.  He  has  not 
learned  to  trace  cause  and  effect  in  history.  He 
can  not  see  the  development  of  races  nor  the 
progress  of  the  ages.  When  the  teacher  has,  with 
ingenious  skill  and  delicate  conscience  eliminated 
all  narrow  or  sectarian  mterpretations  from  the 
Bible  lessons,  and  pointed  only  to  the  laws  of 
science  and  the  hand  of  an  abstract  Providence, 
he  has  left  the  child's  plane  of  contact.  If  the 
child  thinks  of  Providence  at  all  it  is  with  cold  joy. 
To  teach  the  Bible  in  this  way  is  to  take  the  charm 
from  the  child's  best  story-book.  When  the  child 
is  a  little  older  the  result  is  even  worse.  There 
comes  a  time  when  the  young  person  catches  the 
trick  of  looking  for  a  scientific  cause  for  every- 
thing. This  habit  can  be  easily  exaggerated,  and 
is  sometimes  even  carried  to  the  extent  of  arrest- 
ing the  development  at  this  stage.  The  Bible  can, 
at  this  period,  be  made  one  of  the  strongest  means 
of  preventing  this  arrest.  But  alas,  the  method 
used  in  some  schools,  simply  intensifies  the  analy- 
tical tendency,  and  robs  that  holy  fountain  of  its 
life-giving  power. 

The  other  means  suggested  for  the  supply  of 
spiritual  needs  is  the  home.  Here  again,  how- 
ever, is  in  most  cases  the  lack  of  a  specialist. 
Ministers'  families  are  fortunate  in  having  the 
specialist  among  them,  and  some  other  families 
succeed  in  giving  the  child   far  more  than  the 


Conclusion  177 

Sunday-school  ever  can.  But  these  are  excep- 
tions. Although  the  sweetest  spiritual  influence 
should  always  be  that  of  the  home,  it  is  not  ra- 
tional to  expect  the  man  of  the  world,  or  the 
woman  of  ceaseless  household  cares  to  be  always 
so  aglow  with  spiritual  thoughts  or  so  in  touch 
with  the  child's  "  nascent  periods  "  as  to  equal 
the  teacher  of  other  special  branches.  As  the  un- 
sectarian  school  tends  to  be  too  cold  and  advanced 
in  its  religious  teaching,  so  too  many  homes  tend 
to  hang  behind  the  child  and  the  age.  Only  gen- 
iuses pass  beyond,  or  even  reach,  their  teachers. 
Human  nature  falls  below  its  ideals.  To  intrust 
the  religious  teaching  of  children  to  those  of  the 
preceding  generation  who  have  made  no  special 
study  either  of  the  subject-matter,  or  of  the  art 
of  teaching,  would  be  to  let  it  steadily  degenerate. 
Moreover,  the  child  is  a  social  being  and  needs 
the  psychological  stimulus  of  other  children,  and 
other  people  along  his  spiritual  path,  as  well  as 
along  his  intellectual  one.  In  the  American  home 
this  can  be  but  slight.  DiflFerences  of  creed  among 
friends,  relatives  and  even  among  members  of  the 
same  family,  reduce  religious  beliefs,  out  of  cour- 
tesy, almost  entirely  to  silent,  secret  thoughts. 
The  child  should  express  his  inner  life.  Let  the 
Sunday-school  of  the  parent's  choice  supplement 
the  home  in  opportunities  for  the  child's  spiritual 
self-expression  and  social  stimulus,  as  well  as  in 
supplying  religious  specialists  to  lead  the  young 
soul  onward. 


lyS  Sunday-School  Movements 

From  this  point  of  view  the  aim  of  the  Sunday- 
school  can  be  more  definitely  fixed.  Let  it  be  to 
quicken  spiritual  life  and  insight,  and  to  give 
knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  means  of 
spiritual  growth,  as  the  Bible  and  the  Church. 
To  accept  such  an  object  in  practice  as  well  as  in 
theory  would  settle  many  of  the  present  difficulties 
of  the  Sunday-school.  Think  of  the  time  and 
worry  spent  by  so  many  conscientious  Sunday- 
school  teachers  in  pointing  morals  and  hoping  and 
praying  that  the  children  may  put  theni  in  practice 
through  the  week,  or  at  least  be  moved  by  them 
at  some  future  time.  True  the  mission  school 
teacher  must  still  concern  himself  with  the  moral 
training  of  his  scholars,  and  no  teacher  should 
be  forgetful  of  moral  habits  and  principles ;  yet 
the  day  has  passed  when  the  teacher  of  children 
from  intelligent  homes  and  proper  week-day 
schools  should  need  to  shorten  the  fleeting  Sun- 
day hour  with  digressions  or  expansions  on  moral- 
ity. Let  the  teacher  mostly  limit  his  open  sug- 
gestions to  such  as  can  be  put  in  practice  in  the 
Sunday-school.  Children  who  have  not  already 
had  considerable  moral  training,  and  acquired 
more  moral  force  than  many  grown  people,  can 
hardly  be  expected  to  carry  out  moral  principles, 
or  form  moral  habits,  unless  those  who  have  given 
the  theoretical  side  of  the  matter,  can  start  them 
in  the  practice.  Too  many  Sunday-school  teach- 
ers seem  deplorably  unconscious  of  the  harm  that 
may  be  done  by  training  a  child  to  hear  every 


Conclusion  179 

week  moral  principles  which  he  hardly  ever  at- 
tempts to  practise. 

It  is  not  intended  by  this  to  undervalue  the  im- 
portance of  actions  and  moral  habits.  Certainly 
the  character,  and  the  real  inner  Hfe  is  expressed 
in  every  outward  deed  ;  yes,  in  every  motion.  The 
child  whose  religious  teaching  is  not  shown  in 
daily  life  has  not  made  much  progress.  It  is 
rather  because  of  the  great  and  fundamental  im- 
portance of  moral  habits,  and  of  the  hourly  oppor- 
tunities the  child  has  for  turning  one  way  or  the 
other,  that  the  teacher  who  has  the  child  for  an 
hour  or  so  each  week  should  not  attempt  much 
direct  influence  in  that  line.  The  Sunday-school 
has  a  vitally  important  work  to  do,  but  that  is  the 
very  reason  why  the  home  and  the  school  should 
assume  all  that  circumstances  do  not  force  upon 
the  Sunday-school.  All  three  institutions  must 
cooperate.  Fortunately  the  schools  are  realizing 
this  and  giving  increasing  attention  to  questions 
of  character  and  morality,  so  that  the  Sunday- 
school  can  restrict  its  work  to  what  is  more  exclu- 
sively spiritual. 

The  child's  spiritual  life,  according  to  the  above 
aim  of  the  Sunday-school,  is  to  be  quickened.  This 
is  to  be  done  more  by  the  atmosphere  of  the  school 
than  by  any  other  means.  Not  that  there  should 
be  anything  intentionally  emotional  about  the 
Sunday-school,  but  rather  that  the  inherent  social 
nature  of  the  child  should  be  allowed  to  join  with 
others  in  spiritual   self-expression.     Hymns,  re- 


i8o         Sunday-School  Movements 

sponsive  prayers,  and  free  discussion  in  small 
classes  are  natural  means.  Kindness,  promptness, 
and  similar  habits  should  be  insisted  upon,  for  if 
moral  habits  of  self-expression  are  slighted  in  the 
Sunday-school,  what  can  be  expected  of  the  week- 
day life?  Yet  the  directly  spiritual  is  the  chief 
aim  of  the  Sunday-school.  The  early  Church  lived 
and  grew  partly  because  "  All  that  believed  were 
together,  and  had  all  things  in  common."  Each 
individual  was  stimulated  by  the  others  to  do 
everything  unto  the  Lord.  They  broke  bread 
daily  together,  and  according  to  some,  every  meal 
was  a  Eucharist.  If  the  mixed  creeds  in  America 
prevent  us  from  the  daily  social  expression  of  our 
religious  faith,  we  must  take  especial  care  that 
this  lack  is  balanced  for  the  tender  child. 

This  brings  us  to  the  question  of  spiritual  in- 
sight. The  elimination  of  religious  expression 
from  daily  social  life  makes  it  exceedingly  diffi- 
cult for  the  child  to  understand  what  is  meant  by 
"  doing  all  things  unto  the  Lord,"  What  is  the 
connection  between  play,  school,  and  other  daily 
occupations  and  the  spiritual  life  of  which  the 
young  person  is  conscious  on  Sunday,  and  a  few 
other  occasions  ?  Does  he  not  need  some  unifying 
principle?  Truly  the  influence  of  the  day-school 
can  do  much  to  help  the  child  to  find  this. 

Herbart  and  others  have  tried  to  unite  the 
school  work  of  the  child  around  a  single  core. 
That  certainly  was  a  great  advance  from  the  ex- 
treme  disconnection   that   had   almost   insulated 


Conclusion  i8i 

every  separate  subject  of  study.  Indeed  a  life 
without  some  underlying  core  of  unity  is  "  unstable 
in  all  its  ways."  More  recent  writers,  however, 
have  seen  that  complete  unity  about  a  single  core 
in  school  work  was  not  as  profitable  to  the  child 
as  had  been  expected,  but  resulted  in  destroying 
the  force  of  certain  subjects.  Therefore  some 
educators  propose  that  several  comparatively  dis- 
tinct cores  be  adopted,  as  the  ''  humanity,"  the 
scientific  and  the  economic  cores.  Now,  most  nat- 
urally, the  specialist  in  religious  training  thinks 
his  line  the  true  uniting  core.  But  in  the  first 
place  religion  is  not  to  be  prominent  in  American 
schools,  and  in  the  second  place,  only  after  one 
has  passed  through  the  school  stage  of  independent 
causes,  and  the  college  stage  of  systems  of  causes, 
and  has  reached  the  philosophical  stage  of  seeking 
and  seeing  the  ultimate  and  unifying  Cause,  can 
one  expect  to  know  the  force  of  religion  as  the 
true  core  of  unity.  Accordingly,  one  great  func- 
tion of  the  Sunday-school  is  to  give  dogmatically 
some  high  principle  of  unity  to  lives  unable,  from 
youth  or  other  cause,  to  work  out  such  a  principle, 
and  to  help  all  to  gain  such  spiritual  insight  that 
they  may  understand  and  form  such  unifying  prin- 
ciples for  themselves. 

For  this  reason  it  is  of  vital  importance  that  the 
Sunday-school  teacher  should  have  himself 
reached  the  highest  stage  of  insight.  If  he  has 
never  studied  nor  read  what  his  scholars  are  study- 
ing and  reading  through  the  week,  how  can  he 


1 82  Sunday-School  Movements 

expect  to  show  them  the  relation  of  that  work  to 
the  spiritual  hfe  and  rehgious  core?  If  he  has 
never  thought  out  and  lived  out  the  daily  prob- 
lems of  life  in  the  light  of  his  philosophical  and 
religious  system,  how  can  he  hope  to  make  that 
system  more  than  a  set  of  formulae,  to  the  active 
child  or  youth?  If  the  Sunday-school  is  to  do 
the  work  we  are  describing  it  is  absolutely  neces- 
sary that  it  should  have  a  far  greater  number  of 
teachers  who  have  reached  this  philosophical  stage 
of  insight. 

On  the  other  hand,  with  the  child's  entire  life,  as 
with  his  school  life,  too  much  attention  to  this 
principle  of  unity  is  unpedagogical.  The  little 
child  neither  sees  nor  wishes  to  see  the  connection 
between  his  different  occupations.  Diversity  and 
frequent  transitions  are  his  delight.  He  hears  you 
say  that  there  is  a  connection  and  an  object  in 
view,  but  only  as  his  mind  grows  older  does  he 
begin  to  know  the  advantage  of  such  unity  of  pur- 
pose and  take  an  interest  in  it.  Even  at  this  older 
stage  his  unifying  principle  is  mostly  theoretical. 
In  reality  he  feels  rather,  as  has  often  been  said, 
that  he  lives  in  a  city  of  inheritances ;  that  through 
the  southern  gates  enter  the  "  humanities  "  and 
art ;  through  the  northern  gates,  science ;  through 
the  western  gates,  economics  and  the  social  scien- 
ces ;  and  through  the  eastern  gates,  philosophy  and 
religion.  He  knows  that  to  close  any  of  these 
gates  is  to  forfeit  a  part  of  his  birthright  and 
to  narrow  his  life.   Well  is  it  for  him  if  his  teach- 


Conclusion  183 

ers  can  incite  him  to  keep  them  all  open  until 
Ills  theoretical  principle  of  unity  becomes  a  con- 
stant and  practical  reality. 

For  this  reason  far  more  must  be  demanded  of 
the  Sunday-school  than  merely  that  it  should  offer 
opportunity  for  spiritual  self-expression  and  seek- 
to  quicken  spiritual  insight.  That  alone  would  be 
sufficient  reason  for  the  continuance  and  improve- 
ment of  that  much  neglected  institution  ;  but  when 
we  think  how  many  bright  minds  and  strong  na- 
tures deliberately  close  their  eastern  gates  because 
of  the  poverty  and  wretchedness  of  the  importa- 
tions, do  we  not  see  the  importance  of  some  radi- 
cal changes? 

To  be  sure,  some  of  the  eastern  inheritance  has 
been  divested  of  its  characteristic  beauty  and  value, 
and  smuggled  in  through  the  other  gates.  The 
Church  has  misused  its  power  as  an  instrument  for 
freeing  man  from  sin,  for  lifting  him  to  commun- 
ion with  the  unseen  and  spiritual  world,  and  for 
making  him  a  co-worker  with  the  Creator.  Men 
have  lost  their  respect  for  this  holy  institution,  yet 
there  still  lurks  a  half-conscious  intuition  that 
there  was  some  great  good  to  be  had  from  it.  Ac- 
cordingly its  social  functions  are  increased  and  dis- 
torted, and  if,  attracted  by  these,  the  church-goer 
happens  to  be  half  as  much  edified  by  the  sermon 
as  he  might  be  by  a  week-day  lecture,  he  flatters 
himself  that  his  religious  inheritance  is  prosper- 
ing worthily.  The  same  with  that  extraordinary 
product  of  the  East,  the  Bible.     Its  power  to  in- 


184  Sunday-School  Movements 

fluence  character  has  been  first  abused,  and  then, 
as  a  natural  consequence,  reduced  to  a  minimum. 
Still  the  intellectual  world,  conscious  of  the  pe- 
culiar force  and  value  of  these  eastern  writings, 
urges  that  they  be  allowed  some  influence  as  his- 
tory and  as  literature ;  in  other  words,  that  they  be 
allowed  to  slip  in  through  the  southern  gates. 

Now  it  is  the  work  of  the  Sunday-school,  as  an 
educational  institution,  to  make  known  to  the 
youth  of  America  the  character  and  value  of  this 
eastern  inheritance,  and  to  keep  the  eastern  gates 
open  till  the  young  lives  have  become  mature. 
Yet  how  many  of  our  Sunday-schools  are  almost 
entirely  in  the  hands  of  superintendents  whose 
week-day  lives  are  devoted  to  business,  or  law,  or 
medicme,  and  who  know  practically  nothing  of 
what  the  East  has  to  offer.  Even  the  girl  of  fifteen 
or  sixteen  who  feels  herself  called  upon  to  take  a 
class,  may,  by  pure  intuition,  have  as  much  idea  of 
the  real  meaning  of  the  work  as  many  of  our  su- 
perintendents. The  Sunday-school  is  too  often 
thought  successful  when  the  children  keep  in  good 
order,  and  the  older  people  talk  with  them,  or  to 
them,  on  profitable  subjects  of  almost  any  descrip- 
tion. The  Sunday-school  would  be  an  entirely  dif- 
ferent institution  if  the  minister,  fresh  from  the 
study  and  contemplation  of  the  intense  Oriental 
struggles  for  union  with  the  Spirit  of  good,  and 
in  warm  sympathy  with  those  of  this  age,  who 
are  hungry  and  forlorn  for  want  of  that  very 
union,  should  come  to  the  Sundaj-school  deter- 


Conclusion  185 

mined  that  every  teacher  and  every  scholar  should 
reap  the  benefit  of  his  study  and  experience.  EacH 
child  must,  to  some  extent,  live  over  again  the 
world's  struggles.  If  happily  he  is  brought  up  as 
a  spiritual  plant,  and  expands  easily  year  by  year, 
he  needs  the  study  of  man's  spiritual  development 
as  shown  in  sacred  history  and  literature,  in  order 
to  enrich  his  life,  to  give  him  fuller  appreciation  of 
why  others  differ  so  much  from  him,  and  to  make 
him  understand  the  historic  force  of  much  that  is 
about  him,  and  is  comparatively  worthless  except 
as  commemorating  struggles  dear  to  the  human 
race.  If  he  be  of  those  whose  lot  is  doubt  and 
anxiety  and  inward  turmoil,  then  defend  him 
against  the  barrenness  of  much  that  is  called  Sun- 
day-school work.  Bring  him  at  least  once  a  week 
into  close  and  personal  contact  with  those  who,  in 
person  or  in  sympathy,  have  passed  through  rough 
waters,  and  stand  firm  on  the  Rock  to  "  stretch 
out  a  loving  hand  to  wrestlers  with  the  troubled 
sea."  Let  such  lead  him  eastward.  Let  such 
make  him  acquainted  with  David  and  Elijah,  with 
St.  Paul  and  St.  Augustine,  and  if  they  and  their 
band  can  show  him  nothing  more  in  the  East  than 
history  and  literature,  then  let  him  for  the  rest  of 
this  life  close  his  eastern  gates. 

This,  then,  is  what  is  meant  by  giving  "  knowl- 
edge and  understanding  of  the  means  of  spiritual 
growth."  It  is  giving  knowledge  and  understand- 
ing of  those  things  which  spiritual  people  and 
spiritual  races  have  found  helpful  for  their  highest 


1 86         Sunday-School  Movements 

life.  It  is  studying  the  Bible  in  the  light  of  all 
the  knowledge  that  can  be  obtained,  in  order  to 
draw  from  it  the  spiritual  help  and  inspiration  that 
it  offers  to  the  present.  It  is  studying  the  Church, 
not  primarily  as  a  social  organization,  but  as  an 
institution  tossed  about  by  varying  winds ;  ex- 
pressing and  embodying  the  most  sublime  aspira- 
tions of  humanity;  and  affording  the  most  tangi- 
ble aids  to  spiritual  growth.  It  is  studying  the 
thoughts  and  lives  of  the  richest  characters  that 
have  ever  lived,  with  a  view  to  learning  what 
means  they  used  to  gain  their  spiritual  superiority. 
In  thus  restricting  the  aim  of  the  Sunday-school 
to  quickening  spiritual  life  and  insight,  and  giv- 
ing knowledge  and  understanding  of  the  means 
of  spiritual  growth,  it  must  not  be  forgotten  that 
circumstances  often  make  it  expedient  to  give  part 
of  the  Sunday  session  to  other  matters.  But  the 
superintendent  and  other  leaders  in  the  school 
should  then  realize  that  more  than  one  line  of 
work  is  being  carried  on.  Just  as  when  a  country 
post-office,  so  called,  includes  the  express  office, 
news  stand,  store,  employment  bureau,  and  a  list 
of  other  occupations,  the  manager  must  all  the 
while  be  conscious  of  a  clearly-defined  difference 
between  the  post-office  proper  and  any  other  busi- 
ness carried  on  within  the  same  walls. 

Part  II. 

In  order  to  understand  this  aim  of  the  vSun- 
day-school   fully,   it  is   necessary   to  correlate  it 


Conclusion 


187 


with  the  ultimate  aim  of  education.  What  then 
is  the  ultimate  end  of  education?  The  world  has 
not  decided.  Perhaps  it  never  will.  Some  educa- 
tors hold  that  the  end  should  be  the  fullest  develop- 
ment of  the  individual.  This  aim  has  its  good 
points.  The  expression  '*  fullest  development  "  is 
elastic  enough  to  include  almost  anything,  and 
implies  the  effort  to  include  everything.  The  word 
"  individual  "  emphasizes  the  Christian  idea  of  the 
worth  of  each  human  being  as  a  character.  But 
we  have  learnt  empirically  that  every  characteris- 
tic in  man  has  two  opposite  uses,  and  this  defini- 
tion of  the  end  of  education  fails  to  show  us  which 
of  these  uses  should  be  cultivated.  Again,  in  seek- 
ing his  own  development  a  man  is  forced  to  cen- 
ter his  thoughts  upon  himself,  a  condition  which 
Christianity  has  convinced  the  more  enlightened 
portion  of  the  world  to  be  contrary  to  man's  high- 
est development. 

Other  educators  hold  that  the  end  of  education 
should  be  social  service.  This  is  the  most  recent 
and  popular  aim  among  scholars  in  pedagogy.  It 
certainly  emphasizes  much  that  the  other  aim  neg- 
lected. It  also  admits  of  many  interpretations.  But 
"  society,"  even  in  the  best  use  of  the  term,  is  a 
product  of  the  past.  When  we  read  Dr.  John  Dew- 
ey's assertion  that,^  "  Apart  from  the  thought  of 
participation  in  social  life  the  school  has  no  end  or 
aim,"  are  we  not  naturally  reminded  of  Sparta  and 

'  The  Third  Yearbook  of  the  National  Hubart  Society 
—1897— p.  12. 


1 88  Sunday-School  Movements 

China?  Upholders  of  this  aim  answer, — yes,  but 
we  have  learnt  to  use  the  term  "  society  "  in  a 
broader  way,  we  now  know  society  to  be  progres- 
sive, and  in  fitting  the  child  for  his  environment, 
in  preparing  him  for  social  service,  we  must  pre- 
pare him  both  to  yield  to  those  constant  changes 
and  to  lend  his  serv'ices  towards  effecting  changes 
for  the  better.  A  good  answer,  but  the  end  "  so- 
cial service  "  does  not  guide  us  as  to  what  changes 
are  for  the  better,  and  indeed  it  was  only  by  break- 
ing away  from  social  service  as  an  ideal  that  we 
found  the  importance  of  social  progress.  May 
not  this  aim,  high  as  it  is,  blind  us  to  future  dis- 
coveries concerning  the  meaning  of  education,  even 
as  it  for  centuries  has  blinded  races  to  the  idea  of 
social  progress? 

Aims  such  as  those  stated  above  have  a  practi- 
cal working  value.  The  discussion  of  such  aims, 
too,  throws  light  upon  pedagogical  method.  The 
objection  is  chiefly  when  we  look  upon  such  aims 
as  ultimate.  For  practical  purposes  the  teacher 
may  speak  of  memory,  and  imagination,  and  rea- 
son, as  faculties  or  powers;  but  psychologists 
laugh  at  the  idea  of  building  up  a  theory  of  mind 
by  the  combination  of  these  powers,  or  by  exalting 
some  one  power  to  the  supreme  place.  Yet  this 
is  precisely  the  sort  of  work  done  in  the  philoso- 
phy of  education.  Psychology,  sociology,  and  such 
words  are  to  the  philosopher  only  terms  designat- 
ing cross  sections  of  truth  made  for  purposes  of 
practical  convenience.    But  educators  look  chiefly, 


Conclusion  189 

if  not  exclusively,  to  such  sciences  for  their  theo- 
ries of  education.  While  this  is  the  case,  there  is 
little  hope  of  attaining  a  truly  philosophical  con- 
ception of  the  matter.  As  the  psychology  of  mind 
is  far  too  subtile  and  profound  to  be  fathomed  by 
the  mere  study  either  of  brain  combinations,  or  of 
the  so  called  mental  powers,  so  the  ultimate  end  of 
education,  which  should  form  the  basis  of  the  phi- 
losophy of  education,  is  too  transcendent  to  be  de- 
termined by  the  mere  consideration  of  a  few  of 
these  arbitrary  divisions  of  truth,  called  sciences. 
Unless  education  is  to  stop  short  of  philosophy 
and  of  life,  its  end  or  aim  must  not  be  expressed 
in  terms  more  narrow  than  those  of  philosophy. 

Philosophy  speaks  of  an  ultimate  Cause  or 
Will.  Philosophy  shows  us  that  the  universe  is  in 
harmony  with  this  ultimate  Cause,  or  is  the  ex- 
pression of  this  ultimate  Will.  Philosophy  shows 
us  that  if  man  is  free,  his  freedom  is  in  the  power 
to  be  in  or  out  of  harmony  with  the  universe. 
What  else  can  a  free  being,  in  harmony  with  the 
ultimate  Will  of  creation,  be.  but  a  cooperator 
with  the  Creator?  Why  not  then  express  the 
ultimate  aim  of  education  as, — Cooperation  with 
the  Creator  and  Ruler  of  the  universe  ;  or  in  more 
strictly  philosophical  terms, — Cooperation  with 
the  ultimate  Cause  or  Will  behind  the  universe? 

It  is  not  the  object  of  this  paper  to  decide  upon 
the  ultimate  end  or  aim  of  education,  but  the 
writer  believes  that  until  the  aim  is  expressed  in 
terms  of  philosophy  rather  than  in  terms  of  any 


ipo         Sunday-School  Movements 

one,  two,  or  even  twenty  sciences,  we  can  not  hope 
to  correlate  all  educational  processes  with  it.  Such 
an  aim  as  that  suggested,  exalts  the  aim  of  indi- 
vidual development,  and  adds  an  infinite  motive  to 
the  finite  aim  of  social  service.  It  elevates  all  ad- 
vanced education  and  search  for  truth  from  the 
low  plane  of  serving  the  individual  or  society  to 
the  higher  plane  of  revealing  the  supreme  Will. 

Such  an  aim  would  also  help  to  reunite  our  di- 
vorced religious  and  secular  learning.  It  may  be 
well  in  America  to  have  two  institutions,  one  for 
religious,  and  one  for  secular  instruction,  but  it 
can  hardly  be  well  that  these  two  institutions 
should  have  different  ultimate  aims.  The  present 
condition  of  education  in  America  suggests  a  house 
divided  against  itself.  Children  in  day-school  are 
practically  taught  to  look  upon  the  social  life  of 
this  world  as  their  highest  aim.  Children  in  Sun- 
day-school are  constantly  taught  that  they  should 
renounce  the  world  as  evil.  No  sciences  can  set 
an  ideal  which  will  satisfy  the  Church.  No  re- 
ligious standard,  in  the  narrower  sense  of  the 
term,  can  be  satisfactory  to  an  avowedly  secular 
school  system.  But  philosophy,  as  the  sister  of 
religion  and  the  parent  of  the  sciences,  can  show 
how  the  proper  aims  of  both  should  culminate  in 
their  common  Source. 

From  this  point  of  view,  the  Sunday-school 
should  give  a  deeper  meaning  to  the  work  of  the 
day-school,  and  the  day-school  should  give  greater 
reality  to  the  teachings  of  the  Sunday-school.  The 


MiB..a^daik^lBi 


Conclusion  191 

child  cannot  reach  the  Creator  through  philosophy. 
/  His  only  means  of  seeing  the  high  end  to  which 
/     education  would  lead  him,  is  through  religious  in- 
\  struction.    Accordingly,  the  Sunday-school  should  \ 
be  considered  part  of  the  American  educational/ 
system.      It   should   be   given   organization    and 
methods  which  stand  comparison  with  our  other 
educational  institutions,  and  which  are  worthy  of 
our  Nation. 

Part  III. 

What  then  is  the  first  great  need  of  the  Ameri- 
can Sunday-school  as  it  stands  to-day?  The  ques- 
tion at  once  suggests  so  many  and  such  fundamen- 
tal weaknesses  that  the  answer  can  not  come  has- 
tily. We  believe,  however,  that  the  first  great 
need  is  the  trained  superintendent.  If  the  Sun- 
day-school is  to  stand  on  a  plane  with  other  insti- 
tutions of  learning  its  superintendent  must  stand 
as  an  equal  among  the  principals  of  these  institu- 
tions. How  can  the  cause  of  education  prosper, 
when  a  large  branch,  affecting  children  of  all  ages, 
is  practically  never  represented  in  the  gatherings 
of  educational  leaders?  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendents care  little,  and  know  less,  about  the  great 
topics  under  investigation  among  trained  educa- 
tors. Our  high-school  boy  spends  five  days  of  the 
week  under  the  influence  of  a  well  rounded  and 
highly  educated  man,  a  man  of  executive  ability, 
a  man  technically  trained  both  in  the  leading  sub- 
jects of  his  school  and  in  the  science  of  education, 


192         Sunday-School  Movements 

a  man  of  strong  personality,  and  awake  to  the  life 
of  the  times.  Does  the  superintendent  of  the  in- 
stitution to  which  our  high-school  boy  is  urged  to 
come  for  his  deepest  thoughts  and  sublimest  in- 
spirations possess  such  qualifications? 

The  importance  of  the  superintendent  being  a 
well  rounded  and  highly  educated  man,  was  par- 
tially brought  out  in  speaking  of  the  aim  of  the 
Sunday-school.  Just  in  proportion  as  the  insti- 
tution is  to  show  the  child  a  core  of  unity  in  life, 
the  head  of  the  institution  must  know  the  demands 
of  life  and  the  pupil's  other  means  of  preparing 
for  life.  Again,  as  holding  a  prominent  position 
in  the  national  system  of  education,  he  should 
know  enough  of  other  branches  to  properly  corre- 
late his  own  with  them.  American  time,  and  es- 
pecially the  brief  Sunday-school  hour,  is  too  pre- 
cious to  be  wasted  in  duplicating  the  work  of  the 
day-school;  and  the  present  custom  of  teaching 
contradictory  principles  in  the  different  institu- 
tions is  worse  than  ridiculous.  The  well  rounded 
and  highly  educated  Sunday-school  superintend- 
ent will  command  the  respect  not  only  of  his  teach- 
ers and  scholars,  but  of  the  world,  and  of  other 
educators,  so  that  his  attempts  to  adjust  his  work 
to  the  great  scheme  of  education  need  not  all  be 
concessions. 

Moreover,  if  the  Sunday-school  superintendjent 
is  to  hold  this  high  position  as  an  educator,  he  must 
have  technical  training  in  the  philosophy  of  edu- 
cation.   Well  is  it  for  him  if  he  be  skilled  in  the 


Conclusion 


^93 


art  of  teaching,  but  this  is  of  secondary  import- 
ance, since  the  superintendent  is  less  a  teacher  than 
an  influencer  among  teachers  and  thinkers.  It  is 
his  business  to  know  what  the  child  is,  and  whither 
it  tends,  what  forces  it  needs  to  help  it  in  the  de- 
sired direction,  which  of  these  forces  are  provided 
for  outside  of  the  Sunday-school,  and  how  to  se- 
cure the  desired  forces  within  the  Sunday-school ; 
and  it  is  most  strongly  urged  that  the  superintend- 
ent should  not  content  himself  with  a  training- 
school  treatment  of  these  profound  subjects.  His 
studies  in  the  philosophy  of  education  should  be 
carried  on  in  the  university  spirit  ^  and  should 
include  something  of  the  philosophy  of  life,  and  of 
the  philosophy  of  religion.  With  such  a  training 
the  influence  of  the  Sunday-school  superintend- 
ent may  reach  far  beyond  his  own  little  school. 
He  may  help  to  establish  higher  ideals  concerning 
the  ultimate  end  of  education.  In  short  he  may 
take  his  proper  place  in  the  world's  history. 

The  superintendent's  need  of  executive  ability 
is  generally  conceded,  although  many  Sunday- 
schools  fail  to  secure  the  services  of  one  who  pos- 
sesses it.  Religious  knowledge  and  training, 
though  theoretically  accepted  by  most   Sunday- 

*  Our  United  States  Commissioner  of  Education  ques- 
tioned the  advisability  of  this  remark  on  the  ground 
that,  while  it  is  ideally  true,  too  many  universities  of  to- 
day give  courses  in  the  Philosophy  of  Education  which 
are  not,  in  his  opinion,  truly  philosophical,  and  which 
tend  to  lead  the  student  away  from  such  methods  as  Dr. 
Harris  thinks  should  be  used  in  the  Sunday-school. 


194        Sunday-School  Movements 

school  workers  as  the  prime  requisite,  is  much 
more  willingly  ignored.  Yet  how  would  any 
other  technical  institution  prosper  with  a  superin- 
tendent who  knew  little  or  nothing  of  the  subject? 
Imagine  a  school  of  philosophy  with  a  dean  who 
was  not  a  philosopher,  or  a  school  of  art  whose 
principal  was  not  an  artist,  or  a  kindergarten  with 
a  principal  who  knew  nothing  of  child-play.  For- 
tunately most  of  our  Sunday-schools  are  connected 
with  churches.  In  some  of  our  best  managed 
schools  the  real  superintendent  is  the  nominal  su- 
perintendent, that  is,  the  executive  head,  plus  the 
minister.  Where  the  two  really  work  together, 
eacn  appreciating  the  other's  position,  and  neither 
neglecting  his  own  part,  this  is  a  most  happy  ar- 
rangement. I'n fortunately,  in  too  many  cases 
where  this  is  theoretically  the  plan,  the  minister, 
pressed  by  other  parochial  duties,  steps  back  and 
ceases  to  be  a  vital  influence  in  the  school.  Left 
with  only  an  executive  head,  the  teachers  soon 
lose  the  glow  of  high  ideals,  and  the  warmth  and 
intensity  which  radiates  from  the  presence  of  a 
specialist  aflame  with  love  for  his  subject.  The 
spirit  of  the  institution  is  gone. 

It  is  to  the  lack  of  leaders  with  these  four  vital 
qualifications  that  we  trace  nearly  all  of  the  short- 
comings and  mistakes  of  the  modern  Sunday- 
school.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union 
does  an  excellent  work  in  planting  Sunday-schools 
where  there  is  a  dearth  of  religious  teaching,  but 
it  must  look  to  other  organizations  for  the  up- 


Conclusion 


195 


building  of  these  schools  and  the  training  of  suit- 
able leaders.  The  National  Convention  Organiza- 
tion undertakes  this  work.  It  did  well  to  make 
the  start.  It  does  well  in  that  it  reaches  thousands 
who  need  its  encouraging  word  "  Go  on,"  and 
its  suggestions  as  to  organization.  But  where  are 
the  ideals  of  this  gigantic  machine?  How  can  it 
plan  a  lesson  system  abreast  with  the  times,  while 
it  magnifies  loyalty  to  its  first  attempts,  and  re- 
gards knowledge  of  the  child  or  of  educational 
theory  as  of  less  importance  than  conservatism? 
How  can  it  train  teachers  and  superintendents, 
when  its  leaders  have  no  knowledge  of  the  prob- 
lems under  consideration  by  the  educational 
world?  How  can  it  build  up  Sunday-schools  thn. 
will  quicken  spiritual  life  and  insight,  when  it  en- 
courages the  extensive  and  public  offering  of  ma- 
terial rewards,  and,  notwithstanding  the  large  pro- 
portion of  ordained  ministers  among  its  leaders, 
exalts  "  organization  "  as  its  chief  aim  and  pride? 
Chautauqua  has  seen  a  higher  ideal,  and  has 
made  a  wonderful  beginning.  It  has  grappled 
with  the  Sunday-school's  great  problem, — the  edu- 
cation of  its  workers.  It  has  sought  to  reach  the 
many,  offering  both  broad  knowledge  and  special 
training,  yet  urging  spiritual  aims.  The  Chau- 
tauqua movement  is  almost  the  only  movement 
of  the  present  that  seems  to  see  where  the  Sunday- 
school  is  most  in  need,  and  even  Chautauqua  seems 
in  discouragement  to  have  scattered  its  blessings 
when  a  more  concentrated  and  persistent  service 


196  Sunday-School  Movements 

might  do  more  to  raise  the  condition  of  the  Sun- 
day-school. Moreover,  the  times  now  demand 
that  at  least  in  city  Sunday-schools  the  superin- 
tendents, if  not  the  teachers,  should  be  required, 
rather  than  urged,  to  give  themselves  a  thorough 
training  for  their  work.  They  should  be  expected 
to  devote  not  merely  an  hour  or  so  a  day  to 
study,  but  entire  years,  just  as  if  preparing  for 
one  of  the  so-called  professions. 

This  does  not  mean  that  a  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent should  spend  two  years  at  some  train- 
ing school  for  Christian  workers  in  preference  to 
a  longer  period  of  combined  practical  preparation 
and  Chautauqua  study.  On  the  contrary,  the  lat- 
ter would  probably  produce  the  better  result. 
Chautauqua  has  the  ideals  of  a  university,  if  it  has 
not  all  its  advantages.  The  schools  for  Christian 
workers  are  comparatively  narrow  and  misleading. 
"  Christian  work  "  is  not  a  profession  in  itself, 
requiring  a  technical  school.  If  the  "  Christian 
worker  "  is  to  be  a  teacher  or  a  superintendent,  he 
needs  the  same  preparation  that  other  teachers 
and  superintendents  need.  If  his  specialty  as 
teacher  or  superintendent  is  to  be  biblical  or  re- 
ligious, let  him  attend  a  divinity  school  and  elect 
fitting  courses  just  as  a  scientific  specialist  attends 
a  school  of  science  and  elects  his  courses.  In  other 
words,  preparation  for  a  Sunday-school  superin- 
tendent should  ordinarily  be  either  university  work 
in  the  philosophy  of  education,  with  work  at  the 
theological  seminary  as  a  minor  subject,  or  a  theo- 


Conclusion  197 

logical  course  with  university  work  in  education  as 
prominent  electives.  Obviously  the  former  course 
would  fit  the  superintendent  better  for  a  Sunday- 
school  of  small  children,  and  the  latter  course 
would  fit  him  better  for  work  with  older  scholars. 

A  man  with  such  preparation  could  not  be  ex- 
pected to  carry  on  some  business  of  an  entirely 
different  nature  through  the  week.  He  must  be 
either  an  educator  or  a  minister  by  profession.  If 
an  educator,  he  should  plan  his  time  as  the  prin- 
cipal of  a  boarding-school  would,  and  consider  his 
Sunday  work  part  of  the  same  interest  as  his  week- 
day work.  All  men  are  not  Thomas  Arnold's, 
yet  there  is  little  reason  why  our  school  system 
should  not  expect  its  week-day  superintendents 
to  serve  as  religious  teachers  on  Sunday,  and  re- 
serve strength  for  the  proper  fulfillment  of  such 
Sunday  work. 

On  the  other  hand,  if  the  Sunday-school  super- 
intendent be  a  minister  he  should  deliberately  plan 
to  give  a  large  proportion  of  his  time  and  thought 
to  educational  interests,  and  to  the  Sunday-school. 
But  ministers  feel  that  they  are  already  over- 
whelmed with  more  pressing  and  important  du- 
ties. If  so,  we  need  more  ministers.  Perhaps  we 
need  two  kinds  of  ministers.  There  are  some 
who  are  by  nature  and  education  preachers, 
who  can  attract  large  numbers  of  adults,  fill  great 
city  churches,  and  produce  an  almost  unending 
succession  of  brilliant  intellectual  conceptions  be- 
yond the  reach  of  the  child  mind.     These  do  a 


198         Sunday-School  Movements 

grand  work  and  are  in  a  sense  the  successors  of  St. 
Paul.  Others  are  more  of  St.  John's  temperament. 
Their  work  is  no  less  important  because  less  no- 
torious. Let  such  as  have  the  power  in  them 
prepare  themselves  as  sacred  educators.  The  small 
church  needs  the  educator  type,  for  he  must  teach 
both  old  and  young.  The  large  church  needs  a 
minister  of  each  type. 

Moreover,  with  regard  to  the  institutions  of 
learning,  in  proportion  as  theological  seminaries 
and  university  departments  of  education  come  into 
closer  contact,  respect  and  sympathy  rises  between 
them.  This  increasing  interest  will  add  to  the 
number  of  intelligent  ministers  and  of  religious 
educators.  More  than  this,  if  the  courses  of  both 
institutions  are  open  to  all  who  can  profit  by  them, 
there  is  more  incitement  to  maintain  such  courses 
as  must  command  respect,  and  more  inclination  on 
the  part  of  students,  and  even  outsiders,  to  respect 
what  can  evidently  stand  inspection.  The  day  has 
passed  when  a  theological  seminary  should  teach 
with  closed  doors,  as  though  its  mysteries  were  a 
sort  of  occult  lore.  The  Church  in  this  land  is 
not  an  Oriental  bride  who  should  keep  her  face 
veiled.  America  respects  what  it  sees  is  worthy  of 
respect.  If  we  would  have  an  intelligently  re- 
ligious nation  and  a  Church  free  from  self-fos- 
tered error,  let  us  open  the  doors  of  our  semi- 
naries and  bring  them  into  the  closest  possible  re- 
lationships with  the  universities. 

Some  stress  has  been  laid  upon  the  importance 


Conclusion 


199 


of  the  Sunday-school  superintendent  being  quaH- 
fied  to  take  a  position  among  educational  leaders, 
and  lend  a  hand  in  moulding  the  educational  stand- 
ards of  the  nation.  This  is  by  no  means  the  only 
use  to  which  his  broad  training  is  to  be  put. 
Within  the  Sunday-school  he  has  a  great  and  un- 
planned work.  Unplanned,  yes,  but  fortunately 
so,  since  those  who  have  oflfered  plans  have  mostly 
been  poorly  qualified  to  form  them.  He  must  act, 
yet  with  only  indirect  guidance.  He  must  add 
to  his  other  duties  that  of  building  up  a  theory 
upon  which  to  act,  and  if  possible  a  theory  suffi- 
ciently broad  and  scientific  to  serve  as  a  guide  to 
others.  For  instance,  there  is  the  great  problem 
of  Sunday-school  music.  Children  enjoy  singing; 
psychology  and  child-study  encourage  it ;  and  our 
first  study  should  be  what  kind  of  hymns  children 
of  different  ages  enjoy.  When  the  hymns  are 
properly  adapted  to  the  child,  singing  becomes  a 
means  of  self-expression  and  one  of  the  greatest 
means  of  quickening  spiritual  life.  And  since  we 
have  this  definite  end  in  view  as  the  object  of  our 
Sunday-school  work,  our  second  study  should  be, 
which  of  the  hymns  that  children  enjoy,  or  that 
they  can  normally  be  taught  to  enjoy,  best  serve 
this  end. 

When  first  entering  upon  Sunday-school  work 
the  writer  was  much  impressed  by  the  fact  that  a 
certain  large  class  of  boys,  ranging  from  eight 
to  seventeen  years  of  age.  who  had  a  Sunday  hour 
in  a  room  with  onlv  themselves  and  the  teacher, 


200  Sunday-School  Movements 

showed  a  strong  preference  for  hymns  of  heaven. 
Was  it  the  sentimental  or  the  spiritual  that  they 
sought?  They  were  encouraged  to  suggest  the 
opening  and  closing  hymns  and  even  on  one  occas- 
ion to  choose  the  topic  of  a  request  lesson.  With 
one  accord  all  wished  the  request  lesson  to  be  about 
heaven,  or  as  some  expressed  it,  the  last  chapter 
in  Revelation.  It  seemed  that  they  were  reaching 
out  to  connect  themselves  with  the  spiritual  world. 
The  lesson  was  treated  in  this  practical  way.  and 
all  imaginative  descriptions  omitted,  and  those 
active  boys  were  so  gratified  that  they  asked  to 
have  the  lesson  time  doubled. 

Since  that  the  writer  has  in  several  connections 
studied  the  preferences  of  young  people  with  re- 
gard to  hymns.  At  one  time  psychological  tests 
were  being  made  on  the  pupils  of  a  private  day- 
school  in  New  York.  The  scholars  represented 
a  variety  of  religious  denominations.  They  were 
tested  in  small  groups  and  their  work  was  written, 
so  that  there  was  a  minimum  of  temptation  to 
work  for  show.  No  credit  was  given  for  the  work. 
The  papers  were  not  shown  to  any  of  the  school 
teachers,  and  the  testor  was  not  otherwise  con- 
nected with  the  scholars.  Between  other  tests  the 
pupils  were  requested  to  name  their  favorite 
hymns.  After  the  names  were  on  paper,  they 
were  asked  to  state  whether  they  thought  they 
cared  more  for  the  music  or  the  words.  Then  they 
were  requested  to  write  out  as  much  of  the  hymns 
as  thev  could  remember,  or  if  no  definite  words 


Conclusion 


aoi 


were  recalled,  to  give  the  thought  that  the  hymn 
expressed.  These  tests  did  not  include  young 
children,  but  it  was  surprising  that  scholars  twelve 
years  old  and  over,  who  must  have  heard  many 
catchy  and  worthless  h}Tnns,  in  every  case  took 
strong  and  standard  ones,  and  in  every  case  either 
remembered  the  leading  and  characteristic  words 
or  expressed  well  the  real  theme  in  their  own 
words. 

The  subject  requires  further  investigation,  and 
the  trained  Sunday-school  superintendent  seems 
the  man  to  undertake  the  work.  The  following 
suggestions  are  ofYercd  only  as  a  provisional  basis 
of  action.  Infant  class  and  primary  children  en- 
joy descriptive  hymns  such  as,  "  While  shepherds 
watched  their  flocks  by  night,"  "  I  think  when  I 
read  that  sweet  story  of  old,"  "  Saw  you  never  in 
the  twilight,"  and  Bishop  Brooks'  "  O  little  town 
of  Bethlehem."  They  also  enjoy  h}Tnns  of  love 
and  of  guiding  care,  such  as,  "  Saviour,  like  a 
shepherd  lead  us,"  "  Now,  the  day  is  over,"  and 
"  Children  of  the  Heavenly  King."  But  with 
very  little  children  the  fondness  for  the  hymn  de- 
pends largely  upon  the  frequency  with  which  it  is 
sung.  They  learn  hymns  slowly,  but  when  once 
learnt  they  rarely  forget  them.  Obviously  it  is 
important  to  teach  them  hymns  of  which  they 
will  never  weary. 

Children  between  about  eight  and  twelve  care 
most  for  the  active,  social  hymns,  hymns  of  spirit 
and  hvmns  with  choruses.    Nevertheless,  thev  are 


202  Sunday-School  Movements 

often  deeply  impressed  by  hymns  of  subdued  tone 
and  delicate  expression.  Is  this  the  time  to  teach 
them  some  of  those  hymns  which  grow  richer 
with  after  life,  but  which  may  have  a  morbid  in- 
fluence if  taught  during  the  adolescent  stage? 

Older  boys  and  girls,  while  enjoying  the  swing 
and  social  influence  of  hymns  such  as  "  Onward, 
Christian  soldiers  "  and  "  We  march,  we  march," 
appreciate  them  mostly  at  the  opening  and  closing 
of  a  service.  Their  real  favorites,  as  noted  by  the 
writer,  are  such  as  "  Rock  of  ages,"  "  Come,  ye 
disconsolate,"  "  Lead,  kindly  Light,"  "  From 
every  stormy  wind  that  blows,"  and  "  One  sweetly 
solemn  thought;"  together  with  hymns  of  great 
ideas  such  as  "  The  Church's  one  foundation  " 
and  Bishop  Heber's  "  Holy,  Holy,  Holy !  " ;  and 
the  evening  hynms,  and  hymns  of  heaven,  includ- 
ing Faber's  immortal  and  justly  popular  "  Hark, 
hark,  my  soul !  Angelic  songs  are  swelling." 

If  this  is  the  case,  it  would  be  wiser  to  fit  our 
teaching  more  to  the  growing  intensity  of  our 
scholars'  lives,  and  make  less  attempt  to  keep 
down  to  what  we  imagine  they  ought  to  like. 
Encourage  young  people  to  express  their  spiritual 
life,  for  this  is  the  chief  object  of  the  Sunday- 
school.  Let  them  as  often  as  possible  choose  their 
own  hymns,  and  let  there  be  no  comments  to  em- 
barrass them  in  choosing,  or  incite  them  to  un- 
natural selections.  Children  and  young  people 
live  intense  lives.  They  want  something  through 
which  they  can  pour  their  rising  emotions.    Good 


Conclusion 


203 


music  and  appropriate  hymns  may  keep  them  from 
bad  hterature  and  bad  company. 

Yet  our  object  is  not  alone  to  provide  an  oppor- 
tunity for  the  scholar's  self-expression.  We  must 
guide  him  in  a  right  development.  Here  it  would 
be  well  to  study  the  Greek  thoughts  as  to  music ; 
for  some  artistically  beautiful  hymns  are  unques- 
tionably morally  enervating  in  their  effects.  Too 
much  passive  resignation  and  sighing  submission 
is  not  in  tone  with  healthy  young  life.  "  Peace,  per- 
fect peace  "  is  but  a  transient  or  misguided  desire 
for  the  young  Christian  warrior.  Hymns  of  strug- 
gle and  hymns  expressive  of  life's  deepest  emo- 
tions ;  h}Tnns  of  redemption  from  sin,  and  hymns 
of  guidance  through  crises;  hymns  of  love,  of 
praise  and  of  heaven,  these  are  what  the  young 
soul  longs  for.  Both  words  and  music  in  keeping 
with  these  subjects  are  what  the  Sunday-school 
scholar  needs ;  for  music  has  a  moral  tone  of  its 
own.  Compare  the  piotracted  languor  and  sus- 
tained emotions  of  some  Italian  music  with  the 
stronger  movements  of  most  German  measures. 
The  introduction  of  weak,  sentimental  music  ac- 
companied the  fall  of  Greece. 

Again,  we  should  lead  children  to  the  Church 
as  one  of  the  great  means  of  spiritual  growth. 
Since  they  early  learn  to  take  delight  in  singing 
the  standard  church  hymns,  there  is  less  danger 
than  some  people  fear  that  the  service  of  the  Sun- 
day-school will  lead  to  neglect  of  the  church  serv- 
ice.    When  young  people  learn  to  enjoy  singing 


204         Sunday-School  Movements 

hymns  they  will  enjoy  going  where  those  h)'mns 
are  sung.  By  all  means  let  us  keep  the  two  serv- 
ices in  harmony  so  that  the  enjoyment  of  one 
implies  enjoyment  of  the  other.  It  can  be  made 
one  of  the  surest  ways  of  leading  the  young  to 
church.  If  possible  have  the  church  organist  play 
for  the  school,  but  if  this  is  done  be  sure  that  the 
organist  can  refrain  from  elaborate  music.  It  is 
the  touch  which  the  children  will  hear  in  church, 
and  the  musician's  sensitive  appreciation,  that  we 
want  in  the  Sunday-school.  The  mere  question 
of  time,  so  apparently  simple  and  fundamental, 
requires  great  skill.  If  the  time  falls  a  little  be- 
low the  normal,  serious  music  becomes  languid, 
martial  music  becomes  lifeless,  and  whatever  the 
theme  the  scholars  are  left  in  a  weary  frame,  un- 
likely to  put  any  good  thought  into  action.  If  the 
time  is  unappreciatively  hastened  and  the  wor- 
shipful element  is  lost,  the  child  has  neither  time 
nor  inclination  to  think  of  the  divine  Presence  to 
whom  his  hymn  is  addressed,  active  impulses  are 
over-excited,  and  the  atmosphere  of  the  room  tends 
to  disorder.  Give  us  the  best  music  attainable  in 
both  church  and  Sunday-school,  and  each  will  add 
to  the  influence  of  the  other. 

A  second  great  subject  which  should  be  studied 
by  the  trained  educator  whose  specialty  is  spirit- 
ual development,  is  Sunday-school  prayers.  This 
subject  is  closely  related  to  the  former.  In  fact 
many  hymns  are  prayers,  and  the  scholars  should 
feel  that  they  are.     In  the  same  way  it  is  quite 


Conclusion 


^05 


appropriate  that  they  should  feel  that  the  actual, 
so  called  prayers  may  be  expressed  in  words  set 
to  music.  It  is  all  worship,  and  one  advantage  in 
music  is  that  it  helps  the  child  to  take  part  in  the 
service.  Every  one  has  seen  Sunday-schools 
where  the  prayer  was  a  mere  form,  and  the  best 
children  only  behaved  quietly  till  it  was  over. 
What  education  is  that?  The  children's  thoughts 
must  be  drawn  to  the  prayer,  and  one  of  the  best 
ways  to  do  this  is  to  set  some  simple  petition  to 
appropriate,  solemn  music,  let  them  hear  it  re- 
peatedly, and  set  them  the  example  of  reverently 
joining  in  it.  Most  people  have  felt  what  Henry 
Ward  Beecher  meant  when  he  said  that  music  in 
a  service  had  an  effect  which  one  could  never  ob- 
tain while  alone  in  the  closet.  Children  feel  this 
in  the  musical  prayer.  The  kindergarten  uses  it, 
and  offers  us  one  of  the  most  beautiful  of  chil- 
dren's prayers  in  that  little  song,  "  Father  we 
thank  Thee  for  the  night."  Why  should  the  Sun- 
day-school lag  behind? 

Besides  the  effect  of  the  music,  other  principles 
are  involved  in  song  prayers,  though  those  prin- 
ciples may  be  made  use  of  without  music.  One, 
is  that  of  self-activity.  A  little  child  may  wonder 
in  silence,  he  may  listen  to  a  story  in  silence,  but 
in  most  matters  silence  and  inactivity  mean  that 
he  is  not  taking  part,  he  is  wondering  about  some- 
thing else.  Give  him  something  to  say  and  do  in 
the  prayer,  and  the  prayer  may  become  his.  Give 
him  words  to  say  or  sing  and  an  attitude  to  take, 


2o6         Sunday-School  Movements 

and  if  they  are  fitted  to  his  nature  they  will  prob- 
ably become  part  of  self-expression.  When  once 
the  child  has  learned  to  take  the  prayers  as  his,  he 
may  be  led  up  through  responsive  prayers  to  those 
in  which  he  takes  no  audible  part.  In  churches 
where  amens  are  said  after  the  prayers,  children 
should  learn  to  consider  it  a  matter  of  principle  to 
say  the  amen,  otherwise  it  is  like  sending  an  un- 
signed letter  or  presenting  a  ragged  offering.  In 
short,  children  should  both  be  given  a  decidedly 
active  part  in  the  Sunday-school  prayers  when 
young,  and  be  incited  to  feel  it  an  obligation  to 
take  whatever  part  is  offered  them  when  older. 

As  to  the  advisability  of  young  people  leading  in 
extemporaneous  prayers,  or  even  in  any  prayers, 
there  is  division  of  opinion.  One  thing,  how- 
ever, is  sure,  namely  that  few  people,  young  or 
old,  can  do  it  without  to  some  extent  addressing 
the  prayer  to  the  audience  rather  than  to  God.  It 
requires  no  further  remarks  to  show  the  great 
harm  that  such  praying  must  do  the  young  leader. 

Another  principle  involved  in  the  song  prayer 
is  that  of  repetition.  If  Sunday-school  prayers 
are  for  the  children  to  take  part  in,  they  must  both 
express  what  is  within  child  nature  to  wish,  and 
express  it  in  a  way  which  children  can  understand. 
A  new  prayer  must  be  exceedingly  simple  and 
rather  short  if  a  child  is  to  grasp  it.  But  when  the 
same  prayer  is  used  frequently  the  child  grows 
into  the  meaning.  This  same  principle  holds  with 
hymns,  anthems,  and  all  other  parts  of  the  service. 


Conclusion 


207 


Imagine  a  person  singing  for  the  first  time  the 
words, — 

Lord,  now  lettest  thou  thy  servant  depart  in  peace,  ac- 
cording to  thy  word: 

For  mine  eyes  have  seen  thy  salvation, 

Which  thou  hast  prepared  before  the  face  of  all  people; 

(To  be)  a  light  to  lighten  the  Gentiles,  and  (to  be)  the 
glory  of  thy  people  Israel. 

Even  an  adult  would  do  better  to  listen  than  to 
try  to  sing,  and  could  get  no  real  idea  of  the  mean- 
ing till  he  knew  the  stor\'  of  Simeon.  Yet  when  a 
Sunday-school,  excepting  the  infant  class,  is 
taught  to  sing  that  to  simple,  expressive  music, 
and  is  carefully  told  the  story  behind  it,  the  man- 
ner and  expression  of  the  children,  as  well  as  their 
answers  to  questions  about  it,  show  that  they  have 
considerable  understanding  of  the  matter.  The 
intrinsic  solemnity  and  sublimity  of  such  words 
has  a  spiritually  elevating  effect  which  can  rarely 
be  obtained  by  the  use  of  words  so  simple  that 
they  are  appreciated  the  first  time  they  are  heard. 
A  careful  treatise  on  the  Sunday-school  use  of 
what  might  be  called  classic  prayers,  indicating 
among  other  things  the  average  ages  of  the  chil- 
dren to  whom  the  prayers  are  empirically  found 
adapted,  would  be  of  great  value  to  the  Sunday- 
school. 

The  process  of  teaching  prayers  is  an  exceed- 
inglv  delicate  one.  To  have  children  recite  or  re- 
hearse them  tends  to  make  them  conmionplace. 


ao8  Sunday-School  Movements 

In  fact  it  frequently  leads  to  irreverence.  If  it  is 
possible,  the  best  plan  is  to  have  a  number  of  older 
people,  or  better  still  older  children,  know  the 
prayer  and  take  part.  Where  this  is  done  the 
younger  or  newer  children  quickly  learn  to  join 
in.  A  slight  suggestion,  a  word  of  encouragement, 
or  a  short  explanation  is  all  the  teaching  that 
should  be  necessary  to  bring  the  prayer  within 
their  reach. 

If  prayers  are  rightly  used,  they  can,  above  any 
other  part  of  the  Sunday-school  exercises,  tend  to 
quicken  spiritual  life.  To  this  end  they  should  be 
strictly  spiritual.  Let  them  include  thanksgiving; 
petitions  for  forgiveness ;  for  help,  strength,  guid- 
ance and  the  divine  presence;  for  others,  and  for 
the  coming  of  the  kingdom  of  God.  Yet,  import- 
ant as  prayers  are  in  the  Sunday-school,  they 
should  be  decidedly  short.  The  habit  of  lengthy 
petitioning  is  not  natural  to  childhood.  Is  not  the 
highest  use  of  prayer  the  bringing  of  one's  self 
to  the  consciousness  of  the  divine  presence,  and 
putting  one's  self  in  harmony  with  the  supreme 
Will  ?  The  child  can  easily  be  taught  to  feel  this. 
He  can  also  be  taught  that  on  coming  into  Sun- 
day-school he  is  coming  more  especially  into  God's 
presence,  and  that  a  short  prayer  in  acknowledg- 
ment of  this  is  the  natural  opening  or  closing. 
There  are  reasons  for  preceding  this  opening 
prayer  by  a  hymn  of  praise  or  call  to  worship. 
But  these  details  must  be  left  for  the  investigation 
of  our  trained  superintendents. 


Conclusion 


209 


The  much  disputed  question  as  to  whether  the 
Sunday-school  superintendent  should  assume  di- 
rectly instructive  work,  either  in  the  general  exer- 
cises or  in  a  special  class  taught  during  the  school 
session,  depends  to  such  an  extent  upon  the  cir- 
cumstances in  which  the  school  is  placed  that  the 
answer  should  be  left  largely,  at  least  for  the  pres- 
ent, with  each  trained  worker.  One  rule,  how- 
ever, seems  clear ;  namely,  that  since  children 
learn  by  doing,  the  superintendent  should  see  that 
they  have  opportunity  not  only  to  sing  and  to 
pray,  but  to  act  in  connection  with  their  other 
teaching.  To  this  end  superintendents  should  ap- 
ply more  trained  knowledge  and  power  to  the 
question  of  Sunday-school  exercises  and  enter- 
tainments. Much  that  most  children  now  either 
never  learn,  or  acquire  with  hard  work,  could  be 
made  a  delight.  Secular  schools  now  give  enter- 
tainments and  commencements  which  are  highly 
educational  and  still  a  great  pleasure  to  the  schol- 
ars. Is  there  anything  so  peculiar  about  religion 
that  its  special  occasions  must  be  celebrated  by 
exercises  foreign  to  its  regular  work  and  aim? 

The  writer  knows  a  Sunday-school  where  each 
Easter  celebration  is  made  attractive  by  the  ap- 
propriate religious  exercises  of  the  children. 
These  take  the  place  of  the  sermon,  only  a  few 
remarks  being  added  by  the  minister.  One  year, 
for  instance,  the  children  recited  the  ten  chief  ap- 
pearances of  our  Lord  between  His  Resurrection 
and  His  Ascension.     Each  child  learnt  one  verse 


2IO  Sunday-School  Movements 

from  the  Bible.  All  who  had  verses  concerning 
a  given  appearance  came  to  the  front  of  the  church 
together,  stood  in  order,  and  reciting  in  turn  gave 
a  complete  account.  After  the  ten  appearances 
were  finished,  some  of  the  older  scholars  recited 
from  I  Corinthians  xv,  concerning  the  meaning  of 
the  Resurrection  for  us.  Behind  the  place  where 
the  children  recited  was  a  large  green  board,  ele- 
vated above  their  heads,  and  containing  in  gilt 
letters  the  words  "  '  Christ  is  risen  '  He  was  seen 
at  least  lo  times."  This  was  framed  with  fern 
leaves.  After  each  group  recited,  each  member 
of  the  group  handed  a  small  bunch  of  flowers  to 
a  young  man  who  stood  by,  and  the  flowers  were 
placed  in  holes  made  in  the  frame  between  the 
fern  leaves.  The  effect  was  beautiful.  But  what 
is  of  more  account,  the  children  are  so  anxious  to 
take  part  on  these  occasions  that  those  who  are 
not  regularly  appointed  to  recite,  learn  sometimes 
several  parts  with  the  hope  that  an  opportunity 
can  be  made  for  them.  The  chairman  of  the  com- 
mittee always  finds  some  place  for  the  most  in- 
dustrious enthusiasts,  so  there  is  no  ill-feeling. 
More  strange  than  all,  the  chairman  has  not  ob- 
served any  intentional  irreverence  during  any  re- 
hearsal or  celebration,  but  is  confident  that  the 
majority  of  the  children  appreciate  the  work  from 
a  religious  point  of  view. 

If  the  above  Sunday-school  can  succeed  in  pre- 
senting, year  after  year,  a  variety  of  such  educa- 
tional, yet  strictly  religious  exercises,   it  seems 


Conclusion 


OP  THE 

UNIVERSITV 

OF 


an 


strange  that  so  many  Sunday-schools  still  cele- 
brate their  sacred  festivals,  either  in  an  extremely 
monotonous  and  uninteresting  manner,  or  by  in- 
troducing  secular  and   quite   irrelevant  material. 
Here  again  we  see  the  need  of  trained  religious 
teachers  showing  the  Sunday-school  world  what 
can  be   done,  and   perhaps  even   presenting  the 
actual  outlines  of  a  variety  of  such  services  that 
they  may  be  adapted  and  used  by  weaker  schools. 
We    have    seen    that    leaders    in    educational 
thought  and  study  need  the  representative  of  re- 
ligious training.    We  have  also  seen  that  children 
need  such  a  man  to  direct  and  conduct  their  Sun- 
day-school  exercises.     Still   another   class  needs 
the  trained  superintendent.    It  has  been  suggested 
that  the  teachers  need  the  inspiration  of  the  pres- 
ence of  a  specialist.     They  need  more  than  that. 
They  need  his  personal  encouragement  and  guid- 
ance. 

This  need  is  strongly  felt  by  a  large  proportion 
of  Sunday-school  workers,  and  the  result  is  that 
efforts  are  made  to  bring  officers  and  teachers  to- 
gether in  what  are  called  teachers'  meetings.  But 
most  Sunday-schools  find  it  difficult  to  secure  even 
a  small  attendance  on  these  occasions.  No  day  or 
hour  seems  to  accommodate  a  majority.  No 
scheme  of  work  seems  to  arouse  a  lasting  interest. 
Those  who  come,  come  from  a  sense  of  duty,  or 
for  social  purposes.  Why  should  this  be?  It  is 
because  the  meetings  are  not  worthy  of  the  teach- 
ers.   Even  the  executive  business  is  too  often  con- 


212         Sunday-School  Movements 

ducted  in  either  an  arbitrary  or  a  shiftless  man- 
ner. When  it  comes  to  the  educational  work,  the 
leader  does  not  know  where  to  begin.  The  plan 
of  teaching  the  lesson  for  the  following  Sunday 
is  usually  resorted  to.  What  is  the  result?  The 
teachers  learn  to  lean  on  the  easy  arm  of  the  leader 
instead  of  searching  for  themselves  the  great  au- 
thorities which  the  leader  has  reviewed  for  the 
occasion.  Worse  still,  they  build  up  their  lessons 
from  what  has  impressed  them  in  the  teachers' 
meeting,  and  they  lose  that  power  which  comes 
from  planning  a  lesson  upon  the  fresh  conscious- 
ness of  the  needs  of  the  young  lives  over  which 
they  should  have  a  strong  personal  influence.  If 
there  is  any  advantage  in  the  system  of  small 
classes  in  vogue  among  our  Sunday-schools,  this 
advantage  is  lost  when  the  teachers  develop  their 
lessons  from  the  suggestions  of  those  who  do  not 
know  the  individual  scholars.  Just  so  far  as  the 
teacher  receives  help  from  such  a  class  or  lecture 
he  becomes  a  machine. 

What  then  is  the  needed  help  which  the  super- 
intendent should  give  ?  It  is  the  stimulation  which 
comes  from  broad  and  practical  ideas.  Let  him 
call  the  teachers  once  a  month,  or  once  a  week  as 
he  sees  fit,  and  discuss  v/ith  them  the  concrete 
questions  of  method  which  arise  in  every  such 
institution.  Let  them  discuss  the  work  of  the  in- 
dividual classes  and  teachers,  that  each  may  know 
what  his  neighbour  is  doing,  and  be  incited  by  a 
mutual  giving  and  receiving  of  suggestions. 


Conclusion 


ai3 


Under  the  present  conditions  it  is  a  great  ad- 
vantage when  the  minister  or  Sunday-school  su- 
perintendent can  give  some  course  of  lectures  or 
studies   collateral   to  the   regular   Sunday-school 
work.      For    instance,    a    course    on    child-study 
could  hardly  fail  to  be  suggestive  to  the  majority 
of  Sunday-school  teachers.     A   short  course  on 
general  method  might  easily  be  made  interesting 
as  well  as  profitable.     Some  addresses  or  discus- 
sions on  recent  Sunday-school  movements  and  on 
the  different  lesson  systems  would  have  a  broad- 
ening influence.     Concrete  studies  of  great  Bible 
characters  or  of  the  grand  and  quickening  themes 
of  Scripture  are  always  helpful,  whether  they  be 
given  as  lectures  to  teachers,  as  courses  in  a  sem- 
inary, or  as  addresses  and  sermons  to  parishioners. 


Part  IV 

The  second  great  need  of  the  Sunday-school  is 
of  such  importance  that  many  consider  it  the  first. 
It  is  the  qualified  teacher.  The  two  great  needs 
are  so  akin  that  the  supply  of  one  would  greatly 
facilitate  the  supply  of  the  other.  In  fact  while 
the  thoroughly  trained  superintendent  can  achieve 
little  in  a  large  school  without  qualified  teachers, 
he  can,  as  has  been  suggested,  do  much  to  pro- 
duce such  teachers. 

There  are  three  important  qualifications  which 
should  be  insisted  upon.  The  first  is  such  person- 
ality and  general  power  as  will  enable  the  teacher 


214  Sunday-School  Movements 

to  create  a  spiritual  atmosphere  for  his  class.  It 
is  a  radical  mistake  to  let  young  teachers  or  Bible 
class  scholars  feel  that  the  one  who  possesses 
knowledge  of  the  Bible  and  ability  to  keep  a  class 
in  order  deser\'es  an  appointment  as  Sunday- 
school  teacher.  Sunday-school  teaching  is  not  to 
be  looked  upon  as  a  privilege  to  which  those  who 
have  attended  Sunday-school  regularly  are  en- 
titled. It  is  a  work  fraught  with  obligation  and 
self-sacrifice,  not  with  popular  privileges.  The 
teacher  must  control  conversation  and  treat  all 
subjects  in  a  sacred  light;  for  his  object  is  to 
quicken  spiritual  life  and  to  make  the  children  feci 
a  core  of  unity  in  all  their  interests.  While  exer- 
cising a  personal  influence  upon  his  class,  he  must 
constantly  turn  the  children's  thoughts  away  from 
himself  to  the  Church,  to  the  Bible,  and  above  all 
to  Him  who  alone  is  changeless  and  perfect. 
Truly  the  Sunday-school  exists  partly  that  chil- 
dren may  be  stimulated  in  their  religious  life  by 
social  contact,  but  many  leave  the  Sunday-school 
wnth  such  slight  interest  in  other  means  of  spirit- 
ual growth,  that  when  the  social  influence  of  their 
teachers  is  withdrawn  their  religious  life  wanes. 
Scholars  should  be  taught  and  teachers  should  be 
required  to  have  the  power  of  drawing  spiritual 
life  and  influence  from  the  immortal  Source. 

That  this  power  is  important  for  the  superin- 
tendent is  beyond  question,  but  it  is  hardly  to  be 
supposed  that  it  would  be  lacking  in  one  who  has 
made   a   specialty   of   religious   training.      ]\Iany 


Conclusion 


215 


Sunday-school  teachers,  however,  act  as  though 
the  idea  of  spiritual  atmosphere  was  unknown  to 
them.  This  is  inexcusable.  The  power  under 
discussion,  while  of  vital  importance  to  the  Sun- 
day-school, is  less  a  matter  of  the  specialist's  en- 
thusiasm than  of  general  character. 

The  next  essential  qualification  for  the  teacher 
is  a  knowledge  of  the  child  and  how  to  reach 
him.  This  too  is  partly  a  matter  of  general  char- 
acter, and  especially  with  a  woman  it  is  largely 
intuitional.  Nevertheless,  nature  can  be  de- 
veloped, and  the  hints  and  suggestions  which 
pedagogy  has  to  offer  can  greatly  help  the  teacher 
in  his  process  of  learning  by  experience.  The 
teacher  is  an  artist,  and  while  he  should  give  his 
native  powers  full  opportunity  for  action  he 
should  remember  that  some  rules  are  the  very 
means  of  freedom  and  power. 

This  suggests  the  problem  of  Sunday-school 
normal  classes.  It  seems  incredible  that  at  this 
stage  of  the  history  of  education  classes  of  grown 
and  almost  grown  men  and  women  should  meet 
time  after  time  and  learn  lists  of  names  and  of 
facts,  should  even  take  examinations  upon  their 
memory  of  those  Hsts  and  receive  diplomas,  and 
think  they  are  becoming  exceptionally  well  pre- 
pared for  the  highest  kind  of  teaching.  How 
much  can  any  number  of  memory  drills  fit  a 
teacher  to  guide  that  most  delicate  of  all  creations, 
the  soul  of  a  little  child  ?  It  seems  rather  that  the 
normal  class  should  deal  with  the  child  nature 


ii6         Sunday-School  Movements 

and  with  the  essentials  of  method  in  teaching; 
though  for  those  who  have  little  experience,  it 
should  touch  on  even  these  subjects  in  a  light  and 
suggestive  way,  lest  it  kill  the  native  powers. 
When  the  normal  class  deals  with  subject-matter 
it  should  be  from  the  point  of  view  of  method  and 
child-study,  otherwise  it  gives  the  unconscious 
impression  that  Bible  study  is  of  value  not  for 
the  rich  personal  life  it  nourishes  but  for  the 
cold  purpose  of  being  able  to  hand  down  formal 
knowledge.  In  so  far  as  Bible  study  is  under- 
taken for  the  sake  of  the  members  of  the  class,  the 
gathering  should  be  called  a  Bible  class. 

Knowledge  of  the  subject-matter  to  be  taught 
is  the  third  qualification  to  be  insisted  upon.  This 
must  not  be  confused  with  knowledge  about  the 
subject  obtained  from  other  sources.  In  the  case 
of  the  Bible,  for  instance,  the  direct  study  of  the 
Bible  itself  must  be  demanded.  How  much  of 
this  knowledge  should  be  required  ?  Just  so  much 
as  will  give  the  teacher  the  feeling  that  he  not 
only  loves  the  children  but  has  something  which 
has  given  him  deep  pleasure  and  which  he  there- 
fore longs  to  impart  to  them.  Beyond  this  it  is 
not  necessary  that  every  teacher  should  be  a  spe- 
cialist, though  it  is  highly  desirable  if  he  has  broad 
general  training  to  keep  him  balanced,  that  he 
should  have  such  religious  training  as  will  make 
him  a  sympathetic  coworker  with  the  minister. 
Indeed  if  the  leading  teachers  in  each  school  could 
have  some  university  and  theological  training,  and 


Conclusion 


217 


study  in  the  same  classes  with  the  ministers  and 
superintendents,  there  would  be  much  less  indif- 
ference and  clashing  between  them.  The  teachers 
of  Bible  and  normal  classes,  at  least,  should  have 
that  philosophical  insight  which  comes  with  a  full 
and  rounded  education,  for  in  accordance  with  the 
above  ideas  of  the  aim  of  the  Sunday-school,  to 
impart  this  philosophical  insight  is  one  of  the 
teacher's  chief  duties. 

As  soon  as  we  have  Sunday-school  teachers 
with  these  three  qualifications  we  find  dissatis- 
faction with  the  present  lesson  systems.  This  is 
most  natural.  The  International  Lesson  System, 
as  we  have  seen,  ignores  child-study.  Moreover 
it  avowedly  adapts  itself  to  those  who  are  the  least 
qualified  as  teachers.  This  policy  is  a  good  one. 
and  should  not  be  checked  so  long  as  the  great 
majority  of  the  teachers  are  unqualified  for  their 
work.  Nevertheless  it  results  in  the  disuse  of  the 
system  by  the  better  teachers. 

The  Bible  Study  Union  system  is  a  step  in  ad- 
vance of  the  other.  It  embodies  some  admirable 
and  fundamental  theories.  Yet  it  is  formal  and 
monotonous.  Its  knowledge  of  the  child  and  of 
methods  of  teaching  extends  little  beyond  the 
chance  intuitions  of  a  few  individuals.  Its  ques- 
tions, while  often  excellent  in  themselves,  prevent 
the  teacher  from  developing  the  lesson  according 
to  the  needs  of  his  individual  class  and  with  the 
glow  of  his  own  personality.  What  trained 
teacher  of  any  other  "  content  "  study  would  in 


21 8         Sunday-School  Movements 

this  age  be  satisfied  to  develop  each  lesson  accord- 
ing to  another's  plan,  and  ask  the  very  questions 
suppHed  by  others  ? 

Catechisms  are  the  only  other  important  method 
of  reHgious  instruction  in  extensive  use.  While 
many  of  these  catechism.s  begin  with  the  known 
and  lead  on  in  true  pedagogical  manner,  yet  the 
very  fact  that  the  questions  and  answers  are  pre- 
scribed and  ever  the  same  gives  them  a  deadening 
influence  upon  the  awakening  spiritual  life.  Be- 
yond this,  it  need  hardly  be  argued  that  the  best 
and  most  used  of  our  catechisms  are  monuments  of 
the  past.  It  must  be  confessed  that  even  the  most 
orthodox  of  our  teachers  rarely  believe  in  all  that 
the  catechism  of  the  Sunday-school  teaches.  Why 
then  such  mockery-?  Children  are  quick  to  feel 
it.  In  after  life  it  frequently  becomes  a  cause  of 
bitter  reaction  against  religion.  The  consequences 
are  too  serious.  Let  us  cease  to  write  catechisms 
for  children,  and  let  us  study  such  wonderful  pro- 
ductions as  Luther's  catechisms,  the  Westminster 
catechisms,  the  HeMelberg  catechism  and  the 
Episcopal  prayer  book  catechism,  in  the  light  of 
Church  history. 

At  first  thought  this  leaves  the  teacher  in  need 
of  a  new  lesson  system,  and  there  are  those  who 
are  trying  to  supply  this  apparent  want.  But  a 
lesson  system  is  exactly  what  the  qualified  teacher 
should  avoid.  The  true  teacher  must  think  and 
live,  and  give  of  his  thoughts  and  life  as  his  class 
can  take.    The  Sunday-school  already  has  a  text- 


Conclusion 


219 


book,  which  children  easily  learn  to  love,  namely 
the  Bible.  An  educational  course  of  study  in  the 
Bible  would  leave  the  teacher  as  free  as  teachers 
of  secular  history  and  literature  are  to  choose  just 
what  details  they  wish  to  emphasize.  For  in- 
stance, if  the  first  class  above  the  infant  school 
were  given  an  edition  of  Genesis,  in  separate  book 
form,  or  even  in  two  or  three  little  volumes,  with 
a  few  omissions,  but  these  carefully  indicated,  and 
with  perhaps  illustrations  and  notes,  the  teacher 
might  be  left  free  to  use  his  discretion  as  to  the 
weekly  lessons. 

The  following  course  of  study  will  serve  to  il- 
lustrate the  kind  of  work  the  Sunday-school 
should  encourage.  It  is  based  on  a  three-term 
season  in  the  belief  that  children  enjoy  frequent 
changes  and  that  Christmas  and  Easter  make 
natural  divisions  for  terms  of  about  ten  or  twelve 
lessons  each.  It  gives  the  Messianic  theme  in- 
creasing emphasis  as  the  child  grows  older.  While 
leaving  the  teacher  at  liberty  to  have  isolated  texts 
committed  to  memory,  it  requires  the  child,  during 
that  period  when  he  memorizes  easily,  to  learn 
some  sixteen  to  twenty  or  more  of  the  most  ele- 
vating passages  literature  contains,  and  this  on  a 
variety  of  themes  and  with  less  work  than  is  re- 
quired by  the  golden-text  plan. 


220         Sunday-School  Movements 


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224         Sunday-School  Movements 

The  portions  of  Scripture  appointed  to  be  mem- 
orized are  all  such  as  can  be  appropriately  woven 
into  the  general  exercises  of  the  Sunday-school. 
This  should  not  be  overlooked,  for  the  use  of 
selections  adds  greatly  to  the  facility  and  interest 
in  learning  them.  The  six  selections  from  the 
Psalms,  and  the  three  from  St.  Luke,  are  espe- 
cially fitted  to  be  sung  or  chanted  as  anthems. 
The  Lord's  Prayer,  if  repeated  every  Sunday,  need 
never  be  recited.  The  Beatitudes  should  be  used 
as  responses,  the  leader  saying  the  first  part  of 
each  and  the  children  responding  the  why.  This 
avoids  the  routine  work  of  remembering  the  order. 
The  few  remaining  selections  can  be  used  in  a 
variety  of  ways  as  recitations  or  responsive  read- 
ings. 

Some  denominations  may  at  first  think  that  this 
course  does  not  provide  for  enough  doctrinal  and 
denominational  teaching.  But  denominational 
doctrines  are  supposed  to  be  drawn  from  the  Bible. 
If  this  is  the  case  a  thorough  course  in  the  Bible 
gives  the  teacher  opportunity  to  introduce  such 
teachings.  It  may  be  of  interest  to  know  that  the 
writer  has  already  planned  its  combination  with 
the  teachings  of  one  denomination  and  found  the 
result  highly  satisfactory. 

In  the  same  way  biblical  geography  and  orien- 
tal customs  should  not  be  treated  as  a  discon- 
nected subject,  but  should  be  kept  in  the  closest 
possible  connection  with  the  Bible  work.  The 
above  course  is  not  too  hurried  to  allow  a  fairly 


Conclusion 


225 


full  treatment  of  such  matters.  Schools  might 
spend  some  of  the  money  now  used  for  lesson 
papers  for  maps,  instructive  illustrations,  and 
models.  Great  care,  however,  should  be  taken 
in  the  use  of  such  helps  lest  the  children  substi- 
tute the  memory  of  the  help  for  the  fuller  picture 
which  the  imagination  should  form.  Models  es- 
pecially should  not  be  kept  in  constant  view  of 
the  children,  but  should  only  be  used  to  start  their 
mental  conceptions  on  a  correct  basis. 

With  work  done  in  the  careful  way  suggested, 
and  by  a  teacher  so  qualified  that  each  lesson  be- 
comes correlated  with  the  child's  entire  life  and 
knowledge,  there  is  no  need  in  extending  the 
Sunday-school  session  beyond  an  hour  and  a  half, 
or  at  most  two  hours.  Obviously  this  does  not 
apply  to  schools  where  intellectual  and  moral 
teaching  must  be  to  any  great  extent  included. 
It  applies  to  the  Sunday-school  of  children  who 
are  provided  for  by  good  schools  and  homes. 

The  division  of  time  should  be  something  as 
follows:  The  opening  exercises  should  not  ex- 
ceed ten  minutes.  A  period  of  forty-five  minutes 
should  then  be  given  to  uninterrupted  class  work. 
For  the  younger  classes  this  should  be  definitely 
divided  into  two  periods,  say  a  period  of  fifteen 
or  twenty  minutes  for  memory  work,  Bible  geog- 
raphy, or  more  especial  Church  teachings,  and 
then  a  period  of  thirty  or  at  least  twenty-five 
minutes  for  direct  Bible  study.  Five  minutes 
should  close  the  Sunday-school  proper  and  allow 


226         Sunday-School  Movements 

the  children  to  take  their  places  for  a  service,  or 
better  still  to  pass  into  the  church.  This  service, 
as  already  suggested,  should  be  conducted  by  the 
trained  superintendent,  v^^hether  minister  or  edu- 
cator, though  it  would  be  an  advantage,  if  this 
superintendent  be  not  the  regular  preacher  of  the 
church,  to  have  the  preacher  present  at  least  once 
a  month.  The  older  children,  that  is,  those  in  the 
upper  department,  or  over  about  fourteen  years 
of  age,  should  use  the  entire  study  period  of  forty- 
five  minutes  for  Bible  work.  They  might  also 
attend  the  half-hour  Sunday-school  service  only 
once  a  month,  perhaps  the  Sundays  that  the  min- 
ister is  present,  and  use  those  periods  the  other 
Sundays  for  Church  history,  or  some  such  line 
of  less  biblical  sacred  study. 

Part  V 

It  still  remains  a  problem  how  to  obtain  suit- 
ably qualified  workers,  and  how  to  bring  those 
children  who  most  need  religious  teaching  within 
the  reach  of  the  Sunday-school.  This  is  rapidly 
becoming  a  more  and  more  pressing  question. 
Ingathering  by  house-to-house  visitation,  which  is 
the  plan  of  the  International  Convention,  is  good 
as  far  as  it  goes,  but  it  cannot  keep  pace  with 
our  growing  population.  Efforts  to  secure  truly 
qualified  workers  have  been  few  and  individual, 
or  at  best  local,  while  attempts  to  qualify  those 
already  engaged  in  Sunday-school  work  can  no 


Conclusion  227 

longer  satisfy  the  demands  of  our  national  educa- 
tional system. 

This  condition  of  affairs  has  become  so  serious 
that  it  seems  almost  necessary  for  the  state  to  take 
action  in  the  matter.  Is  the  Church  in  need  of 
some  such  external  pressure?  What  if  the  state 
should  say  that  after  a  specified  year,  wherever 
a  Sunday-school  exists  which  is  maintained  ac- 
cording to  certain  standards,  and  conducted  by  a 
superintendent  qualified  according  to  certain  re- 
quirements, attendance  upon  such  Sunday-school 
will  be  as  compulsory  as  attendance  on  the  day- 
school  ;  though  where  two  or  more  such  Sunday- 
schools  exist  parents  may  choose  for  their  children 
as  in  the  matter  of  day-schools?  Such  a  law 
might  incite  the  dift'erent  denominations  to  pre- 
pare their  ministers  for  such  work  or  to  secure 
the  services  of  qualified  educators.  In  small 
towns  denominations  of  similar  teachings  might 
see  more  clearly  the  desirability  of  united  efforts. 

Still  w^e  must  confess  that  it  would  be  better 
if  the  desired  change  could  come  more  heartily 
from  the  Church.  Is  there  no  national  function- 
ary of  education  that  can  rouse  the  Church  to  an 
appreciation  of  the  importance  of  this  matter? 
Ministers  could  do  infinitely  more  in  this  line 
than  they  now  do. 

Earnest  and  religious  young  women,  graduates 
of  good  schools,  perhaps  even  of  colleges,  sit  by 
their  windows   reading  light  literature,   or  pass 


228         Sunday-School  Movements 

their  mornings  engaged  in  some  trivial  work. 
Their  parents  object  to  their  "  slumming."  They 
are  troubled  and  depressed  at  not  finding  a  work 
which  calls  forth  the  powers  they  have  been  culti- 
vating. They  long  for  something  worth  grap- 
pling with.  The  minister  calls.  Why  does  he  not 
drop  the  weak  topics  of  formal  conversation,  and 
the  annoying  topics  of  conventional  religiousness  ? 
If  his  interest  is  in  the  problem  of  religious  in- 
struction he  can  see  in  such  women  great  possibil- 
ities. He  can  direct  them  in  such  studies  as  will 
fit  them  for  the  high  and  noble  work  for  which 
they  unconsciously  long.  More  than  that,  these 
young  women  have  brothers  and  friends,  young 
men  of  good  education  and  noble  powers,  men 
who  have  influence  over  boys,  men  who  have  not 
found  the  satisfactory  place  to  go  on  Sunday  after- 
noons, men  who  would  be  glad  to  find  that  their 
services  are  wanted  by  a  minister  who  will  guide 
and  appreciate  their  efforts.  Nor  should  the  min- 
ister be  lax  in  his  demands  upon  these  young 
people.  They  respect  and  enjoy  the  work  more 
when  it  is  made  serious,  and  when  it  supplies  the 
longing  for  responsibility  and  self-sacrificing 
service. 

Another  great  opportunity  which  most  minis- 
ters neglect  to  use  in  the  interest  of  religious 
training  is  the  pulpit.  Few,  even  of  those  who 
make  some  of  their  sermons  instructive,  will  leave 
their  general  themes  of  exhortation  for  a  serious, 
practical  and  earnest  presentation  of  the  Sunday- 


Conclusion 


229 


school  problem.  To  call  for  more  Sunday-school 
teachers  every  fall  is  a  monotonous  duty,  and  it  is 
felt  as  a  monotonous  appeal.  A  change  can  be 
made.  It  might  begin  in  theological  seminaries. 
The  young  men  there  might  be  taught  the  deplor- 
able condition  of  religious  teaching,  and  sent  out 
aglow  with  determination  to  improve  matters. 
When  in  charge  of  parishes,  they  might  treat  this 
subject  as  part  of  the  now  favorite  topic, — church 
attendance.  Church  attendance  undoubtedly  does 
something  towards  making  our  country  a  God- 
fearing land,  but  the  religious  training  of  the 
young  must  ever  remain  the  normal  means  of 
securing  church  attendance,  and  the  natural  as 
well  as  biblical  method  of  producing  a  nation 
where  all  are  "  kings  and  priests  unto  God." 

When  the  minister  has,  by  repeated  and  prac- 
tical talks  on  the  subject,  convinced  the  people  of 
a  real  need,  a  need  which  affects  them  and  their 
children,  a  need  which  is  as  vital  as  life  itself  and 
as  deep  as  the  immortal  nature  of  man,  then  there 
opens  before  him  still  another  opportunity.  He 
now  leads  his  congregation  in  prayer  for  the  whole 
world,  for  the  Church  in  general,  for  his  own 
congregation,  for  the  clergy,  for  the  national 
rulers,  for  our  Congress  when  asse.rbled,  for 
prisoners  and  captives,  for  the  sick  and  afflicted, 
and  even  for  those  who  cross  the  Atlantic.  Is  not 
this  question  of  the  religious  training  of  our  chil- 
dren worthy  of  a  place  in  our  congregational  pray- 
ers?    Can  we  expect  the  people  of  a  nation  to 


230         Sunday-School  Movements 

work  together  with  unity  and  strength  in  a  great 
and  holy  cause  for  which  they  do  not  pray? 

But  it  is  less  the  object  of  this  conclusion  to 
discuss  the  means  of  bringing  about  a  change  in 
Sunday-school  ideals  and  methods  than  to  empha- 
size the  importance  of  such  a  change  and  to  indi- 
cate the  direction  which  it  should  take.  Accord- 
ing to  the  standards  of  the  Church  the  Sunday- 
school  is  at  present  not  a  success.  According  to 
our  national  standards  of  education  it  is  even  less 
a  success.  It  is  largely  under  the  management 
and  influence  of  those  who  have  but  slight  or  one- 
sided training  for  the  work.  Yet  it  is  the  most 
important  work  intrusted  to  the  Church,  and  the 
most  holy  work  under  the  influence  of  the  State. 
It  demands  the  united  efforts  of  both. 


Appendices 


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238  Sunday-School  Movements 


APPENDIX   III 

Denominational  Representation  of  the  In- 
ternational Lesson   Committee* 

Members.      Denominations.      United  States.  Canada.  Total. 

3  Baptists  (all) 4,100,000  75.000  4,175,000 

1  Congregational 600.000  7,000  607.000 

1  Christians  and  Disciples 1,034.000  1,034,000 

1  Episcopalian) 636,000  162.000  798,000 

1  Lutheran  (both)   1,400.000  16.000  1.416.000 

3  Methodist  (all) 5,450.000  212,(100  5,662,000 

3  Presbyterian  (all) l,50i).000  189,000  1,689,000 

1  Reformed  (both) 341,000  341,000 

1  United  Brethren 263.000  263,000 

15^  15,321,000      061,000    15,985,000 

All  other  Denominations 733,00)       27,000        760,000 

15    Total  Membership 16,057,000     688,000    16,745,000 

Each  member  of  the  lesson  committee  represents  over  1,100,- 
000  church  rcembers.  Each  member  from  the  United  States 
t^presents  over  1,200,000  church  members. 


•  Taken  from  the  report  of  the  Eighth  International  Sunday- 
School  Convention,  p.  258. 


Appendices 


239 


APPENDIX  IV 

International  Lessons 

Relative  number  of  lessons  assigned  to  the  vari- 
ous books  of  the  Bible  in  the  years  1873  to 
1899,  inclusive. 


G-enesis 

.80 

Isaiah 

27 

S.Luke 

,137 

Exodus 

.50 

Jeremiah 

..11 

S.John 

.112 

Le\'lticus 

.13 

(Lamentations. 

..0) 

Acts 

.165 

Numbers 

.U 

Ezekiel 

....6 

Romans. 

..15 

Deuteronomy 

..« 

Daniel 

...21 

1  and  2  Corin.   . . 

..19 

Joshua 

.■M 

Ilosea 

3 

Galatiaus 

...4 

Judges 

Ruth 

.12 

Joel 

....1 

Ephesians    

Philippiana. 

5 

..4 

Amos 

...4 

...4 

land  2  Samuel... 

.75 

(Obadiah 

..01 
;> 

Colos-sians 

3 

land  2  Kings 

.92 

Jonah 

1  and  2  Thessa.  . 

...0 

1  and  2  Chron.    . . 

•>w 

Micah 

....1 

1  and  2  Timothy. 

...6 

Ezra. 

..9 

Nahum 

....1 

Titus 

...1 

Nehemiah 

.U 

(Habakkuk 

01 

(Philemon 

(l> 

Esther 

.  .7 

(Zephaniah 

...0» 

Hebrews 

...5 

Job 

..6 

Haggai 

Zecriariah 

Malachi 

.    .  2 

James 

7 

Psalms 

.27 
.Zi 

...4 
. .  ..5 

1  and  2  Peter 

...4 

Proverbs 

1  John 

4 

Ecclesiastes 

..5 

S.  Matthew 

.ia» 

(Jude 

0) 

(Song  of  Solomon 

"i 

•Oj 

S.Mark 

.n. 

Revelation 

..11 

From  The  Indepen(dent} — Feb.  4,  1897 — Article 
on  the  Sunday-School  and  its  Work — by  A.  F. 
Schauffler,  D.D. — p.  3. 


CI 


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240         Sunday-School  Movements 


APPENDIX  V 
The  Minute  * 

Which  was  made   the   basis  of  agreement  for] 
the  formation  of  the  Bible  Study  Union: 

"  Gratefully  recognizing  the  service  rendered 
in  Bible  study  by  the  International  course  of 
Sunday-school  lessons,  we  think  that  there  is 
abundant  evidence  that  the  time  has  fully  come 
for  the  organization  of  a  course  of  lessons  so 
framed  as  to  promote  a  systematic  study  of  the 
Bible  on  some  graded  system,  with  the  aim  of 
securing  comprehensive  instruction  in  the  facts 
and  teachings  of  the  Bible,  with  constant  refer- 
ence to  the  development  of  Christian  character. 

"  Such  a  system  must  recognize  at  least  three 
departments  in  the  Sunday-school :  a  primary  de- 
partment, including  pupils  up  to  eight  or  ten  years 
of  age ;  an  intermediate  department,  including 
pupils  from  eight  or  ten  to  eighteen  or  twenty ;  and 
adult  classes,  including  pupils  from  eighteen  or 
twenty  upwards ;  and  separate  Scripture  courses 
should  be  selected  for  each  of  these  three  depart- 
ments; these  departments  to  be  further  graded 
as  experience  may  indicate. 

"  Such  a  system  may  properly  recognize  the 

*  Taken  from  the  report  of  the  meeting  of  the  organi- 
zation of  the  Bible  Study  Union,  p.  4. 


Appendices 


241 


Church  Year  by  an  alternative  lesson  adapted  for 
each  of  the  more  important  seasons  of  that  years, 
and  by  a  liturgical  or  other  service  or  services 
with  responsive  readings,  for  the  use  of  such 
schools  as  may  wish  to  adopt  them. 

"  We  approve  the  general  principles  embodied 
in  what  are  known  as  the  '  Outline  Inductive 
Bible  Studies,'  prepared  by  the  Rev.  Erastus 
Blakeslee,  and  published  by  The  Bible  Study 
Publishing  Company." 


242         Sunday-School  Movements 

APPENDIX  VI 
Constitution  of  the  Bible  Study  Union 

Article  I.  Name.  This  organization  shall 
be  called  The  Bible  Study  Union. 

Article  II.  Object.  Its  object  shall  be  to 
promote  improved  methods  of  Bible  study. 

Article  III.  Basis  of  Organization.  As  em- 
bodying the  principles  of  Bible  study  which  we 
approve,  we  hereby  adopt,  as  the  basis  of  this 
organization,  the  Blakeslee  Graded  Lessons,  to 
be  enlarged  and  modified  as  may  hereafter  seem 
best,  and  to  be  known  as  the  Bible  Study  Union 
Lessons. 

Article  IV.  Members.  The  members  of  the 
Bible  Study  Union  on  record  prior  to  November 
1st,  1893,  the  signers  of  the  call  for  the  meeting 
at  which  this  Constitution  is  adopted,  and  any 
persons  present  at  said  meeting  who  approve  of 
its  object  and  basis  of  organization,  as  stated  in 
Articles  II  and  III,  are  hereby  declared  to  be 
original  members  of  The  Bible  Study  Union,  as 
now  organized.  Others  may  become  members  by 
signing  this  Constitution.  Membership  in  this 
Union  involves  no  pecuniary  liability. 

Article  V.  Officers.  The  officers  shall  be,  a 
President,  fifteen  or  more  Vice  Presidents,  and  a 


Appendices 


243 


Secretar>'  and  Treasurer,  whose  duties  shall  be 
those  usually  pertaining  to  such  offices.  There 
also  shall  be  a  Lesson  Committee  and  an  Execu- 
tive Committee,  as  provided  in  Articles  VI  and 
VII  of  this  Constitution.  The  first  board  of  these 
officers  shall  be  elected  at  the  meeting  at  which 
this  Constitution  is  adopted.  Subsequent  elec- 
tions shall  be  held  at  each  annual  meeting,  except 
as  hereinafter  provided. 

Article  VI.  Lesson  Committee.  The  Les- 
son Committee  shall  consist  of  two  classes  of  per- 
sons, vie:  First,  sixteen  persons  elected  by  the 
Union  at  one  of  its  regular  meetings.  Those 
members  chosen  at  the  first  election  shall  be  di- 
vided into  four  classes,  to  serve  one,  two,  three, 
and  four  years,  respectively ;  the  four  members 
elected  annually  thereafter  shall  serve  for  th€ 
term  of  four  years ;  and  no  person  who  has  served 
a  full  term  of  four  years  shall  be  eligible  for  re- 
election until  after  the  expiration  of  a  year  from 
the  close  of  such  service. 

The  second  class  shall  consist  of  the  Editorial 
Board.  This  Board  shall  include,  first,  one  or 
more  office  editors ;  secondly,  special  editors,  of 
whom  at  least  one  shall  be  a  specialist  in  the  Old 
Testament,  and  one  a  specialist  in  the  New  Testa- 
ment ;  thirdly,  denominational  editors,  of  whom 
one  or  more  may  be  appointed  in  behalf  of  each 
denominational  or  other  publishing  house  issuing 
denominational  editions  of  The  Bible  Study 
Union  lessons.     The  first  Editorial  Board  shall 


244         Sunday-School  Movements 

be  elected  by  the  Union  at  the  meeting  at  which 
this  Constitution  is  adopted;  thereafter  members 
of  said  Board  shall  be  appointed  by  a  two-thirds 
vote  of  the  Lesson  Committee  present  and  voting 
at  any  meeting,  notice  of  the  nomination  of  such 
members  having  been  given  in  the  call  for  the 
meeting.  Members  of  the  Lesson  Committee 
who  are  such  by  reason  of  being  on  the  Editorial 
Board  shall  continue  to  be  members  only  so  long 
as  they  continue  on  the  Board. 

No  one  except  the  denominational  editors  shall 
be  responsible  for  any  denominational  teachings 
or  peculiarities  which  shall  appear  in  denomina- 
tional editions. 

The  Committee  chosen  at  the  time  of  the  adop- 
tion of  this  Constitution  is  authorized  to  fill  up 
its  own  number,  exclusive  of  the  Editorial  Board. 
The  Committee  is  authorized  to  fill  vacancies  oc- 
casioned by  death  or  resignation,  until  the  next 
meeting  of  the  Union. 

It  shall  be  the  duty  of  the  Lesson  Committee 
to  provide  a  general  plan  for  the  Lessons  to  be 
issued  under  the  auspices  of  the  Union,  to  arrange 
the  several  courses  of  study,  to  determine  the  or- 
der in  which  they  shall  be  issued,  and  to  make 
such  other  arrangements  as  may  be  necessary  for 
preparing  and  publishing  the  Lessons. 

Article  VIL  Executive  Committee.  An 
Executive  Committee  of  seven  members  shall  be 
chosen  at  each  annual  meeting.  They  shall  have 
charge  of  all  business  connected  with  the  Union, 


Appendices 


245 


except  that  which  is  provided  for  in  previous  ar- 
ticles ;  shall  arrange  for  its  meetings,  and  act  gen- 
erally in  its  behalf. 

Article  VIII.  Meetings.  There  shall  be  an 
annual  meeting  of  this  Union,  at  such  time  and 
place  as  may  be  determined  by  the  Executive 
Committee.  Other  meetings  may  be  appointed  by 
the  Executive  Committee  at  its  discretion. 

Article  IX.  Local  Unions.  The  Executive 
Committee  is  directed  to  encourage  the  formation 
of  State  and  other  local  Bible  Study  Unions,  with 
a  view  to  disseminate,  as  widely  as  possible,  the 
principles  on  which  this  Union  is  based ;  and  to 
promote,  in  Sunday-schools  and  elsewhere,  the 
use  of  the  Lessons  bearing  its  name. 

Article  X.  Amendments.  This  Constitution 
may  be  altered  or  amended  at  any  regular  meeting 
of  the  Union,  provided  notice  of  the  proposed 
amendment  has  been  given  in  the  call  for  the 
meeting. 


246         Sunday-School  Movements 


BIBLIOGAPHY 

The  following  bibliography  contains  only  such 
books  and  papers  as  contribute  historical  material. 
The  order  is  roughly  arranged  according  to  top- 
ics, excepting  that  books  or  papers  once  named 
are  omitted  under  subsequent  topics. 

1.  Early  American   Sunday-Schools. 

Sunday  Schools, — n.n. — Article  in  American 
Cyclopaedia,  1863. 

Sunday  Schools, — Edwin  W.  Rice. — Schaff- 
Herzog  Encyclopaedia  of  Religious  Knowledge, — 
1891.     3rd  revised  edition. 

Sunday-Schools, — M.  H.  Williams. — A  Con- 
cise Cyclopaedia  of  Religious  Knowledge — (not 
consulted). 

Sunday-Schools, — H.  C.  Trumbull. — Concise 
Dictionary  of  Religious  Knowledge  (Jackson's) 
—  (not  consulted). 

Sunday-Schools,    &c., — D.    P.     K. — Cyclopae-- 
dia  of  Biblical  Literature, — 1881.    (McClintock  & 
Strong.) 

Sunday-Schools, — H.  C.  Trumbull.— John- 
son's Universal  Cyclopaedia, — 1895. — New  edi- 
tion. 

The  Sabbath-School  Index, — R.  G.  Pardee. — 
Philadelphia,  1868. 

Historic  View  of  Sunday-Schools, — E.  H.  By- 
ington. — Cong.  Q.,  7:17, — Jan.  1865. 


Bibliography 


247 


of     American    Sunday- 
Eddy. — Univ.   Q.,    39: 


Universalist     Origin 
Schools, — Rev.    Richard 
448.— Oct.   1882. 

Growth  of  the  Sunday-School  in  the  Methodist 
Church,, — ^J.  M.  Freeman. — Meth.  Q.,  31 1399, — 
July,  1 87 1. 

Origin  of  the  Sunday-School  System, — n.n. — 
New  York, — 1851.  (Annual  Report  of  Sunday- 
School  Union  of  Meth.  Epis.  Ch.) 

New  England  Primer, — n.n. — Boston, — 1777, 
— reprint  1844.  (Shows  religious  character  of 
early  New  England  education.) 

The  Sunday-School  Library, — A.  E.  Dunning. 
— Boston, — 1883.     (Gives  historic  sketch.) 

Brief  History  of  Sunday-Schools, — J.  F.  Bing- 
ham.— Buffalo, — 1867. 

History  of  Sunday-Schools, — Lewis  G.  Pray. 
— Boston. — 1847. 

The  Rise  &  Progress  of  Sunday-Schools, — 
John  Carroll  Power. — New  York, — 1863.  (Ex- 
cellent.) 

Sunday-Schools  and  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union, — n.n. — Amer.  J.  of  Ed., — vol.  15, 
— Dec.  1865.  (One  of  the  fullest  histories  to 
date. ) 

The  American  Sunday  School, — M.  H.  Hut- 
ton. — Presb.  Q.,  10:177, — Apr.  1889. 


II.  The  American  Sunday-School  Union. 

Reports  of  American  Sunday-School  Union,— 
Philadelphia. — Annual. 


248  Sunday-School  Movements 

Missionary  Work  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union, — n.n. — Phil., — n.d. — revised  edi- 
tion. 

Student  Missionaries, — n.n. — Phil., — n.d. — (A 
leaflet  of  instruction  for  Student  Missionaries  of 
The  Amer.  S.-S.  Union.) 

A  Fruitful  Life, — B.  Paxson  Drury. — Phil, — 
Apr.  1897.  (A  life  of  the  S.-s  missionary 
Stephen  Paxson.) 

The  Story  of  My  Life,—B.  W.  Childlaw,  D.  D. 
— Phil., — 1890.  (The  life  of  a  missionary  of  the 
Amer.  S.-S.  U.) 

The  Sunday-School  Man  in  the  South, — Rev. 
John  McCullagh.— Phil.,— 1889. 

The  Sunday-School  World, — Phil., — monthly, 
—  (one  of  the  Union's  best  publications.  See  nos. 
for  June  &  July,  1897  for  hist,  material.) 

The  Sunday  School  Missionary, — Phil., — 
monthly, — one  of  the  Union's  best  publications. 
(See  nos.  for  Nov.  1895,  June  1897,  &  June  1899.) 

The  Children's  Friend, — W.  Cams  Wilson. — 
Phil., — Jan.  1824. 

The  Child's  Magazine, — Emory  &  Waugh. — 
Phil.,— July  1828. 

The    Sunday-School    Journal, — n.n. — Phil., — 

1832.  (Published  weekly,  beginning  1831. 
Shows  early  work  of  the  Union.) 

Sunday  School  Teachers'  Convention, — Phil., — 

1833.  (A  bound  vol.  of  the  answers  to  questions 
sent  to  S.-s.  workers  before  the  Convention  held 
in  Phil.,  May  22  &  23,  1832.) 


Bibliography 


249 


The  Teacher  Taught,— F.  A.  Packard— Phil., 
— 1830?  (About  the  earliest  book  of  importance 
on  S.-s.  teaching.) 

Design  of  the  Books  of  the  American  Sunday- 
School  Union, —  n.n. —  Boston  Library  —  n.d. 
(Reprint  from  Biblical  Repertory.) 

III.  The  National  Convention  System. 

Sunday  School  Times, — Phil. — (Origin  and 
Progress  of  S.  S.  Conventions,  by  H.  Clay  Trum- 
bull, May  30,  1896;  and  other  articles.) 

Reports  of  International  S.-S.  Conventions, — 
W.  B.  Jacobs,  publisher. — Chicago, — especially 
1896  &  1899. 

The  Modern  Sunday  School, — J.  H.  Vincent. 
— N.  Y.,— 1887. 

The  Trumpet  Call, — Chicago.  (Illinois  State 
S.  S.  Convention,  by  W.  B.  Jacobs,  June  1897; 
and  other  articles.) 

Proceedings  of  the  Illinois  State  S.-S.  Conven- 
tion,— Reported  by  J.  C.  Youker. — Chicago. 

Massachusetts  S.-S.  Association, — Circulars, 
&c. — no  Boylston  St.,  Boston. 

Sunday-School  Manual, — Mass.  S.-S.  Assoc. — 
Boston,— 1895? 

Primary  Workers'  Manual, — Internat.  Union 
Primary  Sabbath  S.  Teachers. — Phil., — 1897. 

Silver  Anniversary  of  t.  N.  Y.  S.-S.  Primary 
Union, —  n.n. —  New  York, —  1896.  (Contains 
Historical  Sketch.) 


250         Sunday-School  Movements 

Year  Books  of  t.  N.  Y.  S.-S.  Assoc, — New 
York. — (Booklet  for  1874  gives  origin  as  well  as 
work.) 

IV.  The  Uniform  or  International  Lesson 
System. 

The  Lesson  System, — Simeon  Gilbert. — N.  Y., 
-1879. 

Yale  Lectures  on  the  Sunday  School, — H.  Clay 
Trumbull.— Phil.  1888. 

Story  of  the  International  Lessons, — n.n. — 
Sunday  School  Record, — 1893.  (A  page  of  com- 
pact information,  p.  16.) 

International  Evangel, — St.  Louis^ — (See  es- 
pecially Feb,  &  May  nos.,  1895  of  Mass.  Edi- 
tion.) 

Sunday  School  Work, — Ellis. — Ped.  Sem., 
— ^June  1896. 

The  Independent,— 'N.  Y.— (The  S.-S.  &  its 
Work,  by  A.  F.  Schauffler,  Feb.  4,  1897;  and 
other  articles.) 

The  Sunday  School  Quarterly, — A.  F.  Schauf- 
fler.— Boston, — Especially  3rd  Q.,  1893.  (Also 
other  "  Teachers  Editions  "  of  Quarterlies.) 

The  Sunday-School  Quarterly, — F.  N.  Pelou- 
bet — Boston, — A  variety  of  graded  Qs.  for  schol- 
ars.— Junior  Q.,  by  Mrs.  M.  G.  Kennedy. 

Little  Ones'  Quarterly, — Miss  Lucy  Wheelock. 
— Boston. 

Peloubet's  Select  Notes,— F.  N.  Peloubet,  D.D. 
&  M.  A.  Peloubet. — Boston.    Annual  vols. 


Bibliography 


251 


V.  Institutes  and  the   Chautauqua   Move- 
ment. 

Sunday-School  Institutes  and  Normal  Classes, 
— J.  H.  Vincent. — New  York, — 1872. 

The  Normal  Class, — (a  leaflet)  Jesse  L.  Hurl- 
but,  D.D.— New  York,— n.d. 

"The  Study", —  (a  quarterly) — New  York, — 
(Small  notes,  as  in  no.  for  Jan.  1885,  p.  2.) 

Revised  Normal  Lessons, — J.  L.  Hurlbut. — 
New  York, — 1893? 

The  Chautauqua  Movement, — John  H.  Vin- 
cent.— Boston, — 1886. 

The  Chautauqua  System  of  Education  (circu- 
lars),— n.ns. — Buffalo,  N.  Y. ;  Syracuse,  N.  Y. ; 
&c. — n.ds. 

The  Chautauquan, — T.  L.  Flood,  editor. — Pa., 
— Monthly. 


VI.  The  Church  and  Sunday-School  Work. 

The  American  Church  History  Series, — Edi- 
tors, Schaff  &  others. — ^New  York.     1894. 

Sunday  Schools, — J.  H.  Blodgett. — Washing- 
ton,— 1898.  (From  report  of  U.  S.  Commis- 
sioner of  Education.) 

A.  Baptist. 

Massachusetts  Baptist  Anniversaries, — Annual 
reports  from  1885. — Boston.  (Also  Mass.  Bap- 
tist Conventions.) 


252         Sunday-School  Movements 

The  Watchman,  "A  Baptist  Journal." — Bos- 
ton.    (See  no.  for  May  6,  1897 — vol.  78  no.  18.) 

Massachusetts  Baptist  Sunday  School  Associa- 
tion  Bulletin, — W.   W.   Main? — Boston, — 1897? 

Periodicals,  as  "  Two  Years  with  Jesus,"  teach- 
ers' edition  &  scholars'  edition. — Boston. 

Baptist  editions  of  International  Sunday- 
School  Lessons, — Blackall,  Wallace  &c. — Helps 
&  graded  quarterlies. 

Southern  Baptist  Convention  Series  of  Inter- 
national Lessons, — Nashville,  Tenn. 

B.  Congregationalist. 

A  Brief  Historical  Sketch  of  the  Cong.  S.-S. 
&  Pub'g  Society, — n.n. — Boston  &  Chicago, — 
Jan.  1894. 

Annual  Reports,  Cong.  S.-S.  &  Pub'g  Soci., — 
Boston  &  Chicago. 

Congregational  S.-S.  Superintendents'  Union, 
— n.n.,  a  report  or  statement. — Boston, — 1896  & 
other  years. 

The  Pilgrim  Sunday-School  Missionary, — 
quarterly. — Boston  &  Chicago, — 1888  &  follow- 
ing. 

The  Pilgrim  Teacher, — editor  M.  C.  Hazard. 
— Boston  &  Chicago.  (8  or  10  pp.  on  each  In- 
ternat.  S.-S.  lesson,  illustrations,  editorials  &c.) 

C.  Episcopal. 

The  Church  Sunday-School, — Van  De  Water 
&  others— Ch.  R.,— July  1889. 


Bibliography 


^S3. 


The  American  Church  Sunday-School  Maga- 
zine,— editors  Thomas.  Stone  &  Newton. — Phil., 
— 1880  &  following.  (Account  of  S.-S.  Assoc, 
of  Diocese  of  Penn.  in  no.  for  Feb.  1895.) 

Church  Sunday-School  Lessom,  of  the  Dioce- 
san Committee, — different  series,  as  the  Whit- 
taker  by  G.  W.  Shinn  &  the  Jacobs  by  R.  N. 
Thomas. 

Catechisms,—St^  Prayer  Book— Also  James 
Pott  &  Co.,  New  York.  (About  100  books  & 
catechisms  in  circulation.) 

D.  Latter-Day  Saint. 

Sunday-School  Work,— Kdivl  G.  Maeser— Salt 
Lake  City.— 1892. 

Latter-day  Saints'  Sunday-School  Treatise, — 
n.n. — Salt  Lake  City,  1898,  second  edition. 

Proceedings  of  the  First  Sunday-School  Con- 
vention, of  the  .  .  .  Latter-day  Saints. — Ar- 
thur Winter  &  Leo  Hunsaker — Salt  Lake  City, — 
1899. 

Juvenile  Instructor, — editor  G.  Q.  Cannon. — 
Salt  Lake  City,— Historic  Review  of  the  Sunday- 
School  Movement  in  no.  for  Nov.  i,  1899. 

E.  Lutheran. 


Augsburg  Sunday  -  School  Papers, —  (The 
Augsburg  S.  S.  Teacher,  The  Augsburg  Lesson 
Leaf  &c;— Phil. 


254         Sunday-School  Movements 

F.  Methodist. 

The  Sunday-School  Union,  of  the  Methodist 
Episcopal  Church, — J.  M.  Freeman — New  York, 
— Mch.  1880. 

Annual  Reports  of  the  5.-5'.  Union  of  the 
Meth.  Epis.  Ch., — New  York, — 1847  &  following. 

Berean  Lesson  Helps,  Quarterlies  &c., — editor 
J.  L.  Hurlbut. — New  York.  (Also  a  variety  of 
S.-S.  supplies  at  Eaton  &  Mains,  N.  Y.) 

Sunday-School  Magazine,  International  Les- 
son Papers  &c. — Pub'g  House  of  the  M.  E.  Ch. 
South, — Nashville,  Tenn. 

G.  Presbyterian. 

Westminster  Sabbath  -  School  Helps, —  Presb. 
Board  of  Pub.  &  S.-S.  Work,— Phil.,  N.  Y.,  Chi- 
cago, St.  Louis. 

Sunday-School  Monthly  Bible  Study, — editor 
McKamy.—  Nashville,  Tenn.  (Cumberland 
Presb.  Pub'g  House.) 

The  Constitution  of  the  Presbyterian  Church, 
(Containing  the  Confession  of  Faith,  the  Cate- 
chisms, Discipline  &c.)— n.n. — Philadelphia,— 
n.d. 

H.  Reformed  Church. 

The  Reformed  Church  in  America, — Demarest 
— New  York, — 1889,  4th  revised  edition. 

Reports  of   General  Synod  of  the  Reformed 


Bibliography 


^SS 


Church  in  America,  &  report  of  S.-S.  Conven. 
1899.)? — New  York. 

Triennial  Reports  of  the  Sunday-School  Board 
of  the  Reformed  Church  in  the  United  States, — 
Lebanon,  Pa. 

Heidelberg  Sunday-School  Helps, — (7  lesson 
helps,  graded.  5  illustrated  papers.) — New 
York. 

Heidelberg  Catechism, — Zacharias  Ursinus — 
New  York, — n.d.  (original  1563.)  (Also  other 
catechisms — Board  of  Pub.  of  Ref.  Ch.  in  Amer.) 


/,  Roman  Catholic. 

A  Catechism  of  Christian  Doctrine, — 3rd  Plen- 
ary Council  of  Baltimore — New  York, — 1885. 
(Also  other  catechisms.) 

/.  Unitarian. 

Sixty  Years  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday-School 
Society,— U.  G.  Spaulding.— Boston?— 1887. 

Annual  Reports  of  the  Unitarian  Sunday- 
School  Society, — Boston. 

Lesson  Books  &  Manuals, — Boston. —  (a  great 
variety.) 

K.  Universalist. 

Universalist  Register, — Boston. 

The  Christian  Leader, —  (July  17,  1884.— gives 
Universalist  origin  of  "  Children's  Sunday.") 

Sunday-School  Helper,  monthly, — editor  O.  F. 
Safford — Boston, — 1869  &  following. 


256         Sunday-School  Movements 

VII.  The  Bible  Study  Union. 

Sunday-School  Bible  Study, — E.  Blakeslee. — 
Andover  R., — Oct.  1890.  Also  5". -5'.  Instruction, 
— E.  Blakeslee.— And.  R.,  Dec.  1891. 

An  Advanced  Step  in  Sunday-School  Bible 
Study, — E.  Blakeslee. — Boston, — 1891. 

Adaptation  versus  Uniformity, — E.  Blakeslee. 
— Boston, — 1892. 

Report  of  Meeting  for  Organisation  of  Bible 
Study  Union. — Boston, — 1893. 

Statement  of  the  Lesson  Committee  of  the  B. 
S.  U. — Boston, — 1894. 

A  Comparative  View  of  the  International  and 
the  B.  S.  U.  Lessons  on  the  Life  of  Christ, — Bos- 
ton,— 1894. 

ForCts  and  Principles, — E.  Blakeslee. — Boston, 
—1896. 

Sunday-School  Bible  Study, — E.  Blakeslee. — 
Independent, — Feb.  4,  1897. 

Graded  Lessons, — E.  Blakeslee  ? — Boston, — '99. 

Lesson  Books — Life  of  Christ,  7  grades  &  2 
teachers'  aids, — Boston. 

Lesson  Books — Peter,  Paul  &  John,  7  grades  & 
2  teachers'  aids. — Boston. 

Lesson  Books — Great  Men  of  Israel,  7  grades 
&  2  teachers'  aids. — Boston. 

Lesson  Books — Gospel  History,  7  grades  &  2 
teachers'  aids. — Boston. 

Lesson  Books — Hist.  Apostolic  Church,  6 
grades  and  2  teachers'  aids. — Boston. 


Saiimummuiuiuiiiuuui 


Bibliography 


257 


Lesson  Books — Old  Testament  Hist.,  6  grades 
&  I  teachers'  aids. — Boston. 

Blakeslee  Lessons, — editors  D.  H.  Greer  & 
Geo.   H.   McGrew. — Boston, — Episcopal   edition. 

An  Outline  Handbook  of  The  Life  of  Christ, — 
Stevens  &  Burton. — Boston, — 1894. 


VIII.  Miscellaneous, 
A.  The  American  Society  of  Religions  Education. 

The  American  Society  of  Religious  Education, 
(annual)  n.n., — Washington. 

Journal  of  Religious  Education, — J.  E.  Gilbert 
(sec). — Washington,  D.  C., — a  quarterly. 

Bible  Reader's  Guide,—].  E.  Gilbert.— Wash- 
ington,— n.d.  (ist  yr. — Patiiarchs  &  Kings;  2nd 
yr. — Kings  &  Prophets ;  3rd  yr. — Christ  &  Apos- 
tles.) 

Normal  Lesson  Manuals,  &c. — J.  E.  Gilbert. — 
Washington, — n.d. 

B.  The  Foreign  Sunday-School  Association. 

Sunday-Schools  Abroad, — n.n. — Reprint  from 
the  Independent, — n.d.  (Full  account  of  origin 
of  F.  S.-S.  A.) 

Annual  Reports  of  the  Foreign  Sunday-School 
Association, — n.n.  Brooklyn. 

Christie's  Old  Organ — Mrs.  Walton. — New 
York, — n.d.  (See  also  other  books  translated  & 
distributed  by  the  Association.) 


INDEX 


Note — Roman  numbers  refer  to  chapterB;  Arabic  numbers  refer 
to  pages. 

American  Unitarian  Asso- 
ciation   VI  148 

Analytical  lesson  notes  IV 
80 

Anniversary  Institute, 

Meth.     V  97 

Arnold,  Thomas    IX  197 

Asbury,  Bp.     I  21,  VI  134 

Assembly    catechism      I  22 

Assembly,  Chautauqua  V 
99-106 

Assembly  Normal  Union 
V  108,  109 

Associations, — State  II  46, 
HI  74 

Atlanta,  Georgia   III  62,  73 


Adams,  Blackmer  &  Lyons 
(firm)     IV  80 

Africa    III  60,  VII  163 

Aids — for  teachers  and 
scholars     (See  Books) 

Aim  of  education  IX  186- 
191 

Aim  of  the  Sunday-school 
I  23,  II  26,  27,  38,  VI  134, 
IX  173-186,  190 

Akron,  M.  E.  S.-S.  U.  V 
98 

Albany     III  56 

American  Baptist  Publica- 
tion   Society    VI    116 

American  Bible  Society  II 
34 

American  Church  S.-s.  In- 
stitute   VI  122,  123 

American  Home  Mission- 
ary Society    VI  120 

American  Institute  of  Sa- 
cred Literature    VIII  167 

American  Magazine   VI  134 

American  Society  of  Relig- 
ious Education  VIII  168, 
169 

American  Sunday-School 
Union  I  25.  II,  III  55, 
56,  IV  77,  V  loi,  VI  118, 
VIII  164.  166 

American  Tract  Society  II 
34 


B 

Babylon    V  97 

Baird,  Robt.,  D.D.  II  44 

Baldwin    University,    Ohio 

V  III 
Ballantyne,  Richard  VI  128 
Baltimore    III  61,  VI  146, 

151 

"  Banner  "  townships  III 
72 

Baptist  General  Tract  So- 
ciety   VI  116 

Baptists  V  loi,  VI  114-118, 
152 

Barnard     V  92 

Barrows,  Dr.  J.  H.  VIII 
167 


259 


Q.6o 


Index 


Beecher,  Dr.  Lyman    I  24 
Beecher,  Henry  Ward    IX 

205 
Bellamy,  Dr.    I  20 
Berlin     VIII  171 
Bethlehem,  Conn.     I  20 
Bethune,   IDr.   and   Mrs.     I 

22,  II  29 

Bible  &  Tract  Society    VI 

136 
Bible       Normal       College, 

Springfield,  Mass.    V  ill 
Bible  Readers'  Union  VIII 

169 
Bible  Schools    VI  124,  125 
Bible  Society,  Friends    VI 

125 

Bible     Students'     Reading 

Guild    VIII  167 
Bible  Study  Publishing  Co., 

Boston    VII  155 
Bible  Study  Union    VII 
Bible  Study  Union  Lessons 

VI  124,  VII  157-163,  IX 

217 
Biblical    geography    V   95, 

97,  98,  IX  124,  125 
Biblical    instruction     I    20, 

23,  II  27,  34,  IV  77,  V 
III,  VI  113,  117,  129,  VII 
153,  IX  175,  176,  218-224 

Biblical  museums   V  97-99, 

VI  139 
Bickwell,  Tho.  W.    Ill  62 
Blackhouse,   Hannah  C.   & 

Jonathan    VI  125 
Blake,  S.  H.     Ill  62 
Blakeslee,  E.     VII  153,  155 
Bliss,  P.  P.    Ill  59 
Books,  early  S.-s.     I  22,  II 

27,  33<  34,  35.  VI  135 
Books,    library    II    ^6,    37, 

VI    118,    VIII    164,    165, 

171 
Boston,  Mass.     Ill  73,  VI 

117,    121,    147,    150,    VII 

156,  157 


Boston     Society     for     the 
Moral    &    Religious    In- 
struction of  the  Poor    II 
29 
Boston  Sunday-School  So- 
ciety   VI  147 
Brandywine,  Battle  of   I  20 
Brooklyn     III  56,  VIII  170 
Brotherhood  of  St.  Andrew 

VI  123 
Brown,  Alexander    II  51 
Buffalo,  N.  Y.    V  96 
Burma    VII  163 
Burton,  E.  DeW.    VII  161 
Byers,  M.  D.    Ill  76 


Calcutta    II  43 

Canada      II  51,  III  60,  62, 

66,  72,  IV  83,  VI  124,  132 
Cannon,    Elder   G.   Q.    VI 

129 
Capen,  S.  B.     Ill  73 
Cards    II  34,  VI  116,  VII 

158,  162 
Carey,  Matthew    II  26,  VI 

150 
Catechetical     instruction    I 

18,  20,  21,  VI    114,    117, 

124,  132,  140,  143,  145,  IX 

217,  218 
Catechism,  Heidelberg    VI 

142,  143,  IX  218 
Catechisms,  Lutheran      IX 

218 
Catechisms,  Episcopal     VI 

124,  IX  218 
Catechisms,  Westminster   I 

22,  VI  141,  142,  IX  218 
Ceylon     II  43 
Channing   V  91,  93,  VI  148 
Charleston.  S.  C.    I  21 
Chautauqua    III  67,  V  99- 

III.  VI  140.  IX  195,  196 
Chautauqua  College  of  Lib- 
eral Arts    V  105 


Index 


261 


Chautauqua  Lit.  &  Sci.  Cir- 
cle   III  70.  V  104-106 

Chautauqua  Normal  Union 
V  106,  log-iii 

Chautauqua  Schools   V  104 

Chautauqua  S.-S.  Norma! 
Department     V  106-108 

Chautauqua  Teachers'  Re- 
treat   V  104 

Chelsea,   Mass.     VI   151 

Chicago  II  49,  HI  65,  IV 
80.  81,  V  94,  95,  VI  149 

Chicago  S.-S.  Union  l\' 
78,  80,  81 

Children's  Sunday   VI  151. 

China   II  43,  VII  163.  VIII 

172,  IX  187 
Chinese  missionary     II  47 
Christian  Endeavor    III  69 
Christmas    VII  163.  IX  219 
Church    of    the    Epiphanv, 

Phil.     VI  122 
Church  of  the  Holy  Apos- 
tles. Phil.     VI  122 
Church    of    the     Pilgrims, 

Brooklyn     VIII  170 
Church    Sunday-schools      I 

22,  VI.  IX  194 
Cincinnati  II  30,  VI  126,  127 
Cincinnati     Wesleyan     Fe- 
male College    V  III 
Cities     II  47.  Ill  57.  76 
City  S.-S.  Unions     III  76 
Civil    War     II    51,    III    58, 

VI  119 
Clarke.  Dr.  E.  H.     VI  148 
Colportage     VI   116 
Colquitt.  Alfred  H.     Ill  62 
Columbia  Star    VI  105 
Columbus,  Ohio    V  97,  VI 

139 
Comenius    VI  114 
Confirmation      classes    VI 

127,  132 
Congregational     Board     of 

Publication    VI  119 


Congregational  Publishing 
Society    VI  119 

Congregational  Sabbath- 
School  &  Publishing  So- 
ciety   VI    119 

Congregational  Sunday- 
School  &  Publishing  So- 
ciety    III  71,  VI  118,  120 

Congregational  S.-S.  Su- 
perintendents' Union  VI 
120 

Congregationalists  I  19, 
VI  114,  118-121 

Connecticut     III  56.  70 

Connecticut  Code    I  17 

Conventions  II  42.  48-50, 
III.  IV  81,  V  94,  VI  121, 
122,  124,  132,  152,  VIII 
169 

Conventions,  county  III 
53,  56 

Conventions,  International, 
1st    III  61 

Conventions,  International, 
2nd,  3rd  and  4th  III  62, 
IV  84 

Conventions.  International, 
5th  and  6th   III  64,   IV  84 

Conventions,  International, 
7th     III  64,  68,  72,  IV  84. 

Conventions.  International, 
8th    III  64,  73,  IV  85.  88 

Conventions.  International. 
9th     III  68.  73.  74 

Conventions,    National,    ist 

II 48.  Ill  53.  ly  78 

Conventions,  National,  2nd 

HI  55  ,     , 

Conventions,    National,  3rd 

"I  58  ,        ^ 

Conventions,   National,  4th 

HI  59.  60,  IV  82 
Conventions,    National.   5th 

HI  60.  61.  IV  83 
Conventions.  State    HI  56- 

58,  66,  IV  78,  V  96 


262 


Index 


Conventions,  World's  III  68 

Cook  Co.  S.-S.  Teachers' 
Convention     V  95 

Cook,  J.  P.     VIII  170 

Cornell  College,  Iowa  V 
III 

Council  Bluffs.  Iowa    II  45 

Council  Hill    V  95 

County  Normal  Superin- 
tendents    III  75 

Crafts,    Mrs.    Wilbur    III 

63,  64 
Crenshaw,  Thomas    I  21 
Crerar,  John    II  52 
Crystal  Palace    III  56 

D 

Davis,  Noah    VI  115 
Day-schools    I    19,    II    26, 
36,   V   91,    VI    132,    141, 
144,    VIII    168,    IX    175, 
178.  180 
Deseret  S.  S.  Musical  Un- 
ion   VI  131 
Detroit     III  59,  V  95 
Detroit  District    V  5 
Dewey,  Dr.  John     IX  17 
Dickinson     College,     Penn. 

V  III 
Dike,  Samuel  W.  Ill  71 
Diocese  of  Pennsylvania 
S.-S.  Association  VI  122 
Diplomas  III  75,  V  106, 
107.  no,  VI  139,  IX  215 
Discipline,    The     I    22,    VI 

133.  134-  137 
Duncan,  W.  A.     Ill  69-71 
Dunker,  S.-s.     I  20 


Easter    VI    132,    VII    163, 

IX  209,  219 
Eddy,   Richard     VI    150 
Eggleston,    E.     Ill    59,    60, 

IV  78,  80-82 


Egypt    III  60,  V  97 
England    III    60,    V    109, 

VI  125,  VIII  166 
English    Sunday-schools     I 

22,  24 
Ephrata,  Penn.     I  20 
Episcopalians     I  22.  V  in. 

i   VI  114,  121-124,  132,  VII 
163 

Establishment  of  S.-ss.     II 
38-42,   44-47,   52,   III    67, 
Vl  116,  120,  132,  135,  136. 
141,  150.  IX  104 
Evangelical    Society    II  28 
Evening  S.-ss.     II  28 
Exercises  VI   128,  IX   199- 
208,  225 


Fair  Point,  Chautauqua   V 

99 
Farwell,  J.  V.     Ill  59 
Female  Union  Society     II 

29 
Ferguson,  Katy     I  21 
Fergusson,  Mrs.  M.  H.    Ill 

68 
Festivals     IX  209-211 
Field    Superintendent      III 

66 
Field  Workers     III  66,  67- 

76 
Field  Workers'  Conference 

III  67.  68,  72, 
Field      Workers'      Depart- 
ment    III  7Z 
First-day  schools     VI  124 
First-Day  or  S.-S.   Society 

I  25,  II  26,  38.  VI  150 
Fisher,  George  P.    VII  156 
Foreign  Missions     II  43 
Foreign    S.-S.    Association 

VIII  169-172 
France    IV  84,  V  109,  VIII 

170 
Freeport,  111.    V  94,  95 


Index 


162 


Frelinghuysen,       Theodore 
Friends    VI  124-126 


Galena  District  Convention 

V  94.  VI  138 
Gallaudet,  Dr.  T.  H.     II  33 
General  Assembly  (Presb.) 

II  48.  Ill  53.  VI  141 
General        Conference 

(Meth.)     V  97.  VI  I35. 

136,  138   ^        ^ 
General        Conference 

(L.-D.  Saints)     VI  130 
General       Convention 

(Univ.^    VI  151 
General  Synod    VI  143 
Germanv    VIII    171 
Gillett,  P.  G.  ^  III  60 
Gloucester     VI   151 
Golden  Text       IV  79,  85. 

IX  219 
Gospel  Meetings     II  45 
Grace   Church,    N.   C.     VI 

123 
Graded  S.-ss.    VI  128,  131, 

145.  146,  148,  VII  154-161 
Graham.  Isabella    I  21,   II 

29 
Great  Britain     I  22,  II  40. 

Ill  58.  IV  83.  89 
Greece  II  43,  V  97-  IX  203 
Green,  John  C.     II  5^ 
Greer,  Dr.  David  H.     VIl 

156,  163 

H 


Half-Price    Home    Library 

II  36 
Hall.  Willard    III  55 
Hammond.  H.  L.     IV  80 
Hanover  Co..  Va.     I  21 
Harper,  Dr.  W.  R.     V  105, 

VIII   167 
Harris,  John  G.    Ill  65 


Harris.   Dr.   Wm.    T.     IX 

Hartford  Co.,  Conn.,  b.-b. 

Union     III  53 
Hartshorn,  W.  N.     Ill  65. 

74 
Harvard  College     I  17 
Hebrews     VI   126-128 
Hebrew         Sabbath-School 

Union     VI   126 
Hebrew      Union      College, 

Cincinnati     VI  126,  127 
Heidelberg    catechism    and 

lessons     VI  142,  I43.  IX 

218 
Herbart     IX  180 
Heyer,  C.  F.     VI  132 
Hickey,  Rev.  M.     V  95 
Hicksite  Friends    VI  125 
Holy  Land    V  95.  102 
Home  Child  Culture  VIII  6 
I  Heme     Class     Department 
1      III   68-73 

j  Home  Department    111  71- 
I      7;i,  76.  VI  140 
Home   Department   Unions 

III  72 
Home    Readings        IV    79. 

VIII   166 
Home  religious  teachmg     I 

17,  VI  113.  125,  143.  147. 

148,    VIII    168,    IX    174. 

Hours  of  instruction     (See 

Sessions) 
Howland,  H.  J.    VI  117, 
Hou<:e    to   house    visitation 

III  67.  76,  IX  226 
Humane  Day     VI   131 
Humphrey.  Pres.     II  33 
Hymns     VI    117.    146.    IX 
179,    199-204    (See     Mu- 
sic) 

I 


Illinois     III   56.  58,  75.  V 
94,  96,  VI  119 


264. 


Index 


Immigrants    VI  137 
India    II  43,  IV  83,  V  102, 

VII  163 

Indiana      III    72,    VI    119. 

VIII  168 
Indianapolis     III  60 
Indians    VI  137 
Inductive  teaching   VI  119, 

120,  VI 
Infant   class   teachers     III 

63,  VI  117 
Ingathering  III  67,  IX  226 
Institute,    Primary    Teach- 
ers'    III  62 
Institutes     III   66,    IV   81, 

V,  VI  121.  122,  124,  138, 

148 
Instruction      (See   Biblical, 

Catechetical,   Moral) 
Instruction,  Department  of, 

— Meth.      V   97,   99,    VI 

136,  139 

International  Bible  Read- 
ing Association  VIII  166 

International  Conventions 
II  48,  III  61-73 

International  Convention 
System  III  55-58,  62,  66, 
76,  V  99,  IX  1Q4.  226 

International  Convention 
Young    Men's    Chr.    As. 

in  5Q 

International   Evangel     III 

74.  VIII  165 
International  Executive 

Committee    III  65,  66-68, 

72.  72, 
International     Lessons      II 
35.  48,  III  60.  65,  IV,  VII 
153,    155,   VIII    166,    168, 

IX  217 
International    Lessons,    use 

of  VI  115,  116,  120,  122, 
124,   125.   142 
International   Lesson  Com- 
mittee    III  66,  IV  83-90. 
VI  123,  VII  153 


International  Primary  Un- 
ion    III  64,  65 

International  S.-S.  Normal 
Committee     V  109 

Iowa     VI   119,   125 

Ireland     III  60,  V  102 


Jacobs,   B.   F.     Ill   59,  60, 

75,  IV  78,  81-83 
Jacobs,  W.  B.    Ill  75 
Jacobs'  lessons     VI  124 
Japan    III  68,  VII  163 
Joint   Diocesan    Committee 

VI  123 
Joliet,  111    V  94.  VI  138 
Judson,  Albert     II  35,  IV 

77 

K 

Kansas     III  70 

Kidder,  Dr.  D.   P.     V  93, 

VI  138 
Kindergarten    VI  146,  VII 

158.  IX  205 
Kindergarten  of  the  Church 

VI  140 
Knowles,  J.  D.    VI  115 


Ladies'       Commission 

(Unit.)     VI  148 
Lane,  O.  W.    VI  150 
Lathrop.  S.  G.     Ill  58 
Latter  Day  Saints    VI  128- 

132 
Leonard,    Dr.    C.    H.       VI 

Lesson  Committee,  Inter- 
national III  60,  61,  67, 
IV  83-90 

Lessons  II  34,  III  60,  IV, 
VII  157-163.  IX  217-224 
(See  various  denomina- 
tions) 


Index  16^ 


Library.  S.-?.   II  36,  37.  VI 

118.  149.  VIII  164.  Its 
Library,   traveling     VI    126 
Limited  Lesson  Scheme    II 

34-  IV  77 
London,     S.-S.     Centennial 

in  V  108 
London,    S.-s.    teachers    in 

III  61 

London    S.-S.    Union      IV 

79.  84 
Lord,  Eleazar     II  29 
Lord's    Supper    (in    S.-s.) 

VI  130    (See  Mass.) 
Louisville     III  62 
Loyal  S.-S.  Army     III  75 
Lutheran     Church     Review 

VI  133 
Lutherans      VI     132,     133, 

141 
Luther's     catechisms       IX 

218 

M 

Madagascar    VIII  172 

Maine    II  47 

Mann,  Horace    VI  148 

Maps  V  95,  VI  117,  IX 
225 

Mason  Street  S.-S.  (Bos- 
ton)    II  30 

Mass  in  S.-s.  VI  145,  146, 
147  (See  Lord's  Sup- 
per) 

Massachusetts  I  17,  19,  II 
47,  III  55.  56,  74 

Massachusetts  Sabbath- 
School  Society  VI  118, 
119 

Massachusetts  Sabbath- 

School  Union    VI  118 

Mav.  Robt.     II  28 

McCook,  H.  C.     IV  82 

McGrew,  G.  H.    VII  163 

Memorizing    (from    Bible) 

IV  77,  IX  219-224 


Methodist  Book  Concern 
VI  135.  136 

Methodist  Epi<.  S.-S.  In- 
stitutes   V  94,  95,  VI  136 

Methodist  Epis.  S.-S.  Un- 
ion IV  80,  V  93,  97,  99, 
106-108.  VI   135-137 

Methodist  instruction  I  22 
23.  V  99-1 1 1,  VI  133-136, 
138,   140 

Methodist  Kindergarten  of 
t.  Ch.     VI  140 

Methodists  IV  94.  V  99, 
102,  VI  115.  133-140,  152 

Mexico     VI  132 

Michigan    VI  119 

Miles,  W.  A.     V  96 

Miller,  Lewis  III  68,  V 
99..  100,  103 

Missionaries,  S.-s.  II  30, 
38-47,  49,  III  76,  VI  119, 
120 

Missionaries,  student    II  45 

Missionarj-,  Chinese     II  47 

Missionar}-,  colored    II  44 

Missionary  lessons  VII 
163 

Mississippi  River    VI  128 

Mississippi  Valley  Enter- 
prise   II  39-43.  50 

Models    V  97.  98.  IX  225 

Montreal     V  102 

Moody  III  58,  59,  73,  IV 
78 

Moody  Institute,  Chicago 
II  49,  V  III 

Moral  Instruction  II  26, 
29,  IX   173,   178-179 

Moravians     VI   113 

Morris,  Hattie     III  63 

Mount  Carroll     V  95 

Mountford,  Mrs.  L.  Von 
F.     V  98 

Murray     VI  151 

Music  VI  124,  127,  131, 
133,  142,  147,  IX  199- 
207 


166 


Index 


N 

Nashville    VI  117,  142 

National  Conventions  (See 
Conventions) 

National  Convention  Or- 
ganization (See  Inter- 
national Convention  Sys- 
tem) 

National  Council  (Cong.) 
VI    120 

National  Primary  Union 
III  62-65,  7i 

National  Sunday- School 
Teacher     IV  78.  80 

National  Union  Primary 
S.-S.  Teachers     III  62 

Nevada     III  57 

Newark,  N.  J.     Ill  59,  62 

New  England  I  17,  21,  II 
46,  VI  114,  151 

New  England  educational 
system  (early)  I  19 

New  Hampshire     II  47 

New  Jersey    II  46,  III  70 

Newton,   Dr.     IV  82 

New  York  II  46,  HI  56, 
69,  70,  72,  V  96,  99,  104, 
VI  119,   126 

New  York  City  II  29,  III 
63.  IV  80,  VI  121,  123. 
124,  132,  13s,  146.  VII 
156,  157,  VIII  170,  1X200 

New  York  Primary  Teach- 
ers' Union     III  62, 

New  York  State  S.-S. 
Association    III  63 

New  York  S.-S.  Union  II 
29.  31.  35.  V  92 

New  York  Training  School 
for  Deaconesses     V   iii 

Nickel  Day     VI  117,  142 

Nineveh    V  97 

Normal  classes  III  67,  75, 
V   94,    99,    107,    III,    VI 

127, 131, 136-139, 144,  IX 

215,  216 


Normal  College,  Meth.  S.- 
S.     VI  138 

Normal  Department  III 
76  (Meth.),  V  97,  99, 
106,  VI  136 

Normal  Department,  Bap- 
tist, Presb.  and  Amer. 
S.-S.  Union    V  loi 

Normal  Department,  Chau- 
tauqua    V  106-111 

Normal  drills    V  95,  IX  215 

Normal  praxes     V  107 

Normal  study  III  62,  75, 
VI  138,  IX  215 

Normal  Sunday-Schools 
V93 

Normal  Superintendents 
HI  75 

North-western  Female  Col- 
lege, 111.     V  III 

Nova  Scotia    V  102 

Nunc  Dimittis    IX  207 

O 

Ohio    VI  119 

Ontario     V  102 

Ordnance  Survey  of  Jeru- 
salem    V  97 

Ostrander.  Dr.  J.  S.    V  98 

Oxford  summer  meeting  V 
105 


Pacific  Coast    II  46 
Palestine    Exploration      V 

97 
Pardee.  R.  G.     V  96 
Paris    VIII  170 
Park  of  Palestine     V  102 
Paulist  Fathers    VI  146 
Paumier.  H.    VIII  170 
Pawtucket,  R.  I.     I  22 
Paxson,  Mary    II  40 
Paxson,  Stephen     II    40-42, 

43,  50,  III  56 


Index 


267 


Peltz.  Geo.  A.    Ill  61 

Pennsylvania  II  30.  46,  VI 
122,  124,  141 

Persia     II  43.  VII  163 

Philadelphia  II  26,  31,  35- 
48,  50.  Ill  S3.  58,  63,  IV 
88,  VI  116.  122,  150 

Philadelphia  Primary  Un- 
ion     III  63 

Philadelphia  Sunday  and 
Adult  School  Union     II 

30.  31,  33  .      ,^ 
Pike  Co..  111.     II  41 
Pilgrim  Church.  Plymouth 

I  18 
Pilgrim  Press.  The  VI  120 
Pittsburg,  Penn.    II  28,  III 

6S 

Plenary  Council  of  Balti- 
more, Third    VI  146 

Plymouth     I  18,  19 

Pollock.  James  J.    Ill  58 

"  Poor  whites  "     II  44 

Prayers.  S.-s.  VI  127,  IX 
204-208 

Prayers  for  the  S.-s.  IX 
229 

Preaching  on  the  S.-s.  VI 
137,  IX  228 

Presbyterians  V  loi,  VI 
119,  140-142,  152 

Presbyterians,  Cumberland 
VI  141 

Presbyterians,  Southern 
VI  142 

Primary  Adaptation  IV 
87-89.  VI  116.  117.  140, 
146,  VII  158-162,  IX  201, 
205,  219,  220 

Primary  Council     III  65 

Primary  Department  III 
74,  76,  V  118,  140,  VII 
158 
Primary  Teachers'  Insti- 
tute III  62 
Primary  Unions  III  64, 
73 


Primary  Workers     III  65. 

74 
Primary  Workers'   Confer- 
ence   IV  87 
Providence    VI   146 
Provo,  academy  at   VI  131 
Publications— Amer.     S.-S. 

Union   II  32-37.  43.  VIII 

164 
Publications — Philad.    S.   & 

Adult  S.  Union     II  33 
Public  schools    I  19.  II  26, 

36.    V    91.    VI    128.    144. 

145,    149.    VIII    168,    IX 

174-176 
Puritans    I  18,  19,  VI  114 

Q 

Quarterly  Bulletin    III  64 
Question  Books     II  35.  IX 
217 

R 

Raikes'    System      I    20-22. 

VI  134,  150 
Raritan     VI  144 
Reformed  Church    VI  142- 

144 
Revolution,  the     I  20 
Rewards     III   75.  VI   147, 

IX  195 
Reynolds,  Wm.     Ill  59,  65 
Robbins,  T.     I  19 
Rock  River    V  94 
Rocky    Mountains     II    42. 

46,  VI   128 
Roxbury,    Mass.    (S.-s   at) 

I  19 
Rush,  Benjamin    II  26,  VI 

150 
Russia    II  43 


Salt    Lake    City     VI    129, 
130 


!z68 


Index 


Sandwich  Islands     II  43 
Sardinsfield.  Mass.    VI  121, 

VIII  169 
Savannah,  Ga.    VI  134 
Scotland     III  60,  V  102 
Scott  Co.,  111.     Ill  56 
Scripture-schools     VI   124 
Sectarianism     I  19.  21 
Selected     Uniform    lessons 

II  34.  IV  78 
Services    for    children      VI 

124,  130,  133,  I5i»  146,  IX 

199-21 1,  226 
Sessions    (time    of)     I    18. 

23,  VI  127.  129.  132,  134- 

135,  140,  146,  IX  225 
Seward.  B.  J.     II  40 
Simpson,  Rev.  H.  M.  V  100 
Slater,  Samuel     I  22 
Smith.  Hoke     III  73 
Society  for  the   Promotion 

of    Christian    Knowledge 

VI  119 
South  America     II  43 
Southern    States     I    21     II 

44 
Spanish  War    III  72 
Sparta     IX   187 
Spaulding,   Rev.  H.   G.     V 

93 
Spencer.  Mass.     VII  IS3 
Springfield,  111.     Ill  58,  IV 

78 
Standard-Baptist  paper    IV 

81 
State  S.  S.  Associations    II 

46,  III  68,  74.  75 
State   conventions     III   55, 

56,  57.  58,  61 
Stevens.  W.  A.    VII  161 
St.  Louis     II  42.  Ill  68 
Stuart.  Geo.  H.     Ill  60 
Student   Missionaries    II  45 
Sunday-School  Journal    VI 

139 

Sunday-School  leacher  Iv 

78-81 


Sunday-School      Teachers' 

Assembly    V  100 
Sunday- School       Teachers' 

Quarterly     IV   78.   79. 80 
Sunday-School    Times     III 

60,  74,  IV  88,  VIII  165 
Sunday-School   visitors  III 

70 
Sunday-School  World      II 

35 
Sunday-Teachers      Normal 

College    VIII  168 
Superintendents      VI     130, 

137,  144,  IX  184,  191-213. 

226 
Superintendents'  Union 

(Cong.)     VI  120 
Switzerland     VIII   170 
Svnod  of  Dort    VI  143 


Teachers'    Assembly,    S.-S. 

V  100 

Teachers'  Association,  Ch. 
of  the  Holy  Apostles — 
Phil.    VI  122 

Teachers'  Institute,  Pri- 
mary   III  62 

Teachers'  Institutes  (See 
Institutes) 

Teachers'   Magazine      II 35 

Teachers,  male  VI  131,  IX 
215,  228 

Teachers'  meetings  VI  130 
IX  211,  212 

Teachers,  paid     I  22,  II  28. 

VI  128 

Teachers,  voluntary      I  23. 

VI  134 
Teaching  brotherhoods  and 

sisterhoods    VI  141; 
Temperance   Lessons       IV 

84.  87.  88.  VII  163 
Temple  Emanuel  S.   S.,  N. 

Y.     VI  T28 
Thacker,  Ludwig    I  20 


xr>r  -3-^7 


Index 


269 


Theological  Seminaries 

IX  196,  198,  229 
Thwing,     Pres.     Chas.     F. 

VII   156 
Toronto,  Canada     III  62 
Trabert,  Dr.     VI   133 
Training  of   S.-S.    teachers 

III  62-65,  67,  75,  IV  79. 

V,  VI  122,  127,  131,  138. 

139,    VIII    168.    IX    181, 

213-217,  226 
Training    schools    for    Chr. 

workers     V  lii,  VI  121. 

IX  196 
Trumbull,  Henry  Clav    III 

60 
Tucker,  Pres.  Wm.  J.    VII 

156 
Turkey     II  43.  VII  163 
Tyng,  Alexander     III  59 

U 

Uniform  lessons    II  34,  48. 

Ill  60,  IV 
Union       Graded      Lessons 

VII  157 
Union    of    American    He- 
brew Congregations     VI 

126 
Unions,  rise  of    I  24,  II 
Union  S.-ss.     II  47 
Unitarians      V  93,  VI  108, 

114,  147-150 
Unitarian  S.-S.   Society    V 

91.    VI     118,    147.    148. 

Western  149 
Unitarian    S.-S.    Union    of 

the  Pacific  Coast    VI  149 
Universalists    I  23,  VI  150- 

152 
Upper    Classes,   attendance 

of    I  24 
Utah    VI  128 


Van  Lennep,  A.  O.    V  98 


Vella,  Bertha  F.     Ill  74 
Vermont     II  47,  III  70 
Vincent,  J.  H.     Ill  60,  69, 
IV    78-82,    V    94-97,    99, 
100,  103,  III,  VI  138,  139. 
140 

w 

Warren    V  95 
Washington      III    64,    VI 

116.  VII  168.  169 
Washington,  Ct.     I  22 
Washington        Primary 

Teachers'  Union     III  64 
Wellspring.  The    VI  118 
Wells,  Ralph     V  96 
Wesley,    John      I    22,    23, 

VI  134 
Western     Sabbath     School 

Agency    VI  119 
Western  Unitarian  Society 

VI  149 
Westminster        Catechisms 

VI  141,  142,  IX  218 
Wheelock,  Miss  Lucy    VII 

162 
White,   Bp.     II  26,  27,  VI 

150 
Whittaker  lessons    VI   124 
Whittle,    Major      III    59 
Wilder,  E.  C.     Ill  58.  59 
Winchester,  111.     II  40,  HI 

57 
Wisconsin     VI   119 
Wise,  Dr.    V  97.  VI  139 
World's    S.-S.    Convention 

III  68 
Woodruff,     A.    VIII     169, 

170,   172 
Woodruff,     H.     C.      VIII 

172 

Y 

Young  Men's  Christian 
Association    VI  59 

Yearly  Meetings,  Friend 
VI  125 


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